The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the country, passing a bill that would end the twice a year practice of changing clocks and sending the question to the Senate.
Lawmakers approved the Sunshine Protection Act by a vote of 308 to 117. The measure would establish Daylight Saving Time, the schedule the country follows from March to November, as the year round standard. A state could remain on standard time only if it put an exemption in place before the law took effect. Hawaii and most of Arizona already stay on standard time throughout the year.
Passage would eventually end the familiar ritual of setting clocks forward in March and back in November, a switch that affects nearly every household in the country.
The bill was authored by Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican. It cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 48 to 1 in May as part of the broader Motor Vehicle Modernization Act. In a statement, Buchanan said Americans are tired of the biannual change and called the bill a commonsense reform that would improve public safety and give families more evening daylight. He urged the Senate to send it to the president’s desk.
The bill now awaits action in the Senate, where no vote has been scheduled.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
