U.S. House and President could make daylight saving time the permanent law of the land
By Richard Scanland
LANSING, Ill. (November 3, 2022) – Daylight saving time is a concept many are familiar with. It has been around since 1918, when it was implemented during the First World War in an attempt to conserve energy resources. Since the practice became formalized through the Uniform Time Act of 1966, Americans have been changing their clocks every spring and autumn.
Ending daylight saving time?
However, the regular rhythm of “falling back” and “springing forward” might be coming to an end next year. A new bill that was proposed in March of this year called the Sunshine Protection Act would have daylight saving time permanently take effect in November of 2023. This means that people would move the clocks forward an hour next spring, but wouldn’t move them back again in the fall. Some proponents of the bill support it so the transportation industry can improve its scheduling. Others support it to keep people’s sleep more consistent year round, improving their health.
The House Energy and Commerce committee chairman Frank Pallone said, “The loss of that one hour of sleep seems to impact us for days afterwards. It can also cause havoc on the sleeping patterns of our kids and our pets.”
The idea of getting rid of daylight saving time has received many supporters. A poll from Monmouth University found that 61% of people support the change, while 35% do not. Pallone also cited a 2019 poll that found that 71% of Americans supported no longer changing their clocks twice a year.
Next steps
Despite the apparent support from the public and the unanimous agreement in the Senate, little progress has been made on the bill since it was passed by the Senate in March. The bill still needs to pass in the House of Representatives before reaching the desk of President Joe Biden. With much other important business to discuss, it’s not known when the House will put daylight saving time on their agenda.
For now, nothing has changed regarding daylight saving time. As long as the bill stays stuck in limbo and does not make it into the president’s hands, Lansing residents will still have an extra hour of sleep to look forward to next November.
The current upcoming daylight saving time schedule says Americans will move their clocks back one hour on November 6, 2022, forward on March 12, 2023, and back again on November 5, 2023 – assuming no legislation is passed before then.
