Sunshine Protection Act cleared for floor vote after rules panel approval
The House Rules Committee on Monday voted 6-4 to approve a rule teeing up floor consideration of the Sunshine Protection Act, moving the legislation one step closer to a full House vote. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent, ending the practice of changing clocks twice a year.
If enacted, the measure would lead to later sunrises and sunsets year-round, extending daylight in the evening hours during the darker months. The bill advances after previous efforts to make daylight saving time permanent had stalled. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have passed laws that would adopt permanent daylight saving time if Congress authorizes the change.
The legislation has drawn bipartisan support. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social after the Energy and Commerce Committee’s May vote that the measure would be a “very nice WIN for the Republican Party.” Trump said, “We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day – And who can be against that – This is an easy one!”
The bill still needs approval from the full House and then passage in the Senate before it could become law. Previous attempts to install permanent daylight saving time have stalled at the federal level, though support for ending the clock changes has grown.
Debate continues over whether daylight saving time or standard time should be the fixed standard. Sleep medicine specialists have argued that permanent standard time is more aligned with human circadian rhythms.
Hawaii and most of Arizona do not participate in the current daylight saving time system and would not be affected under the bill. The House Energy and Commerce Committee originally approved the bill in May with a 48-1 vote.