WASHINGTON — As Americans prepare to turn their clocks forward an hour this Sunday, Congressman Vern Buchanan and Senator Rick Scott renewed calls to pass their bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-a-year clock change that takes place every March and November.
"There are tremendous health, economic, and productivity benefits to making daylight saving time permanent," said Buchanan. "It’s clear that Americans want to do away with changing their clocks twice a year, and my bill will end this outdated practice. Just recently, we’ve had very promising conversations with House leadership, Energy and Commerce committee members, and administration officials about holding hearings and acting on my bill this Congress. Florida lawmakers have already voted to make daylight saving time permanent, and Congress should pass the Sunshine Protection Act to move Florida and the rest of the country to year-round daylight saving time>"
President Trump had been in support of the change and promised to end the time changes if elected during his 2024 campaign. However, this week, Trump seemed to roll that back, suggesting that it was essentially an issue people were split 50-50, which made him less inclined to do so.
"Americans are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year," said Scott. "It’s an unnecessary, decades-old practice that’s more of an annoyance to families than a benefit to them ... Let’s give families in Florida and across the nation the much-needed benefit of more sunshine and make this ‘spring forward’ the last one!”
In Florida, the state legislature passed a bipartisan trigger bill in 2018 to become the first state in the nation to adopt permanent DST if approved federally. Twenty states have since enacted legislation or passed similar resolutions.
Research demonstrates that permanent daylight saving time has health, safety, and productivity benefits. Studies in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and the Journal of Physical Activity and Health show that during the extra hour of daylight, children experience an increase in physical activity.
Researchers with the Brookings Institution found that robbery rates dropped by 27 percent during the extra hour of daylight and that the four-week extension of DST in 2007 saved $59 million per year in avoided social costs by reducing evening robberies. Recent research also found that "springing forward" in the spring can negatively affect worker productivity for up to two weeks.
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David Daniels
I definitely plan to call Scott and Buchanan in support of making DST permanent.This is long overdue. How can people be 50-50 about darkness at 5:15pm? Who likes to walk their dog in the dark? Who likes to be stuck indoors after getting home from work? Is it 50-50 because Anheuser-Busch and Netflix have their thumb on the scale? Instead of being able to go for a bike ride, or work in the garden - early darkness limits our options.
Friday, March 7 Report this
rayfusco68
Actually the argument is even stronger to eliminate daylight savings time. Driving in total darkness in the morning, school buses picking up children in the dark, etc. These safety arguments are a bit more compelling than not wanting to walk your dog and you would be waling that same dog in the morning darkness. Arizona does not have daylight savings time and they seem to do quite well.
Sunday, March 9 Report this
GoldenGopher
Trump and friends have promised to make it permanent - but can never find the courage to do so.
Maybe we should do like Venezuela and change the time 1/2 hour.
Sunday, March 9 Report this
sandy
Has to be passed by Congress before Trump can sign bill to remain at Daylight Savings Time permanently.
Sunday, March 9 Report this