On May 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted in favor of introducing the Sunshine Protection Act to the House of Representatives.
Washington—— As a bill would make daylight saving time permanent Across the country, Washington, D.C., has shown support for the change.
On May 21, the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted in favor ofsun protection laws” to the House of Representatives. If it is approved by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump, it would end the semi-annual clock changes.
This will also end years of hard work Washington state and 17 other states have passed legislation or resolutions supporting permanent daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The only two states in the U.S. where people don’t have to adjust their clocks are Arizona and Hawaii. Federal law allows states to opt out of daylight saving time, but does not allow states to do the opposite. Hawaii and Arizona operate on standard time year-round.
In 2019, lawmakers passed a bill with bipartisan support to switch Washington state to permanent daylight saving time. The bill was signed by then-Gov. Jay Inslee, but cannot take effect without federal approval.
In an effort to circumvent the federal approval process, Washington state lawmakers have introduced a bill for the 2024 session that would permanently move the state to standard time, a right that all states could exercise without congressional approval. The bill has bipartisan support in the Senatefailed to receive adequate consideration from the state government and the Election Commission in a timely manner.
At the federal level, lawmakers have been working for years to make this shift. However, this effort has historically been put on hold due to larger issues. 2022 Version The Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate but failed in the House.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Sen. Scott Riker (R-FL) reintroduced bipartisan bill, but Senate version of Sunshine Protection Act Has not yet left the committee.
“Each year, more and more Americans become increasingly frustrated about setting their clocks, and every winter, people in Washington state despair about losing an hour of precious sunlight when they are forced to cancel daylight saving time,” Murray said when announcing the bill. “Growing frustration also means growing support for the Sunshine Protection Act across the country and across the political spectrum… It’s about public health, it’s about our economy, it’s about bringing more light into the lives of families so they can spend time together outdoors, in the sun.”
The change did not come without criticism.
Before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s vote, Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.) said that while she was tired of changing clocks twice a year, permanent daylight saving time would pose health and safety concerns. She quoted health professionals as saying that standard time “aligns with the body’s natural circadian rhythm.” She quoted the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as saying that the human body is “designed to wake up to morning light.”
