The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 by a significant bipartisan vote of 308-117. This legislation aims to establish daylight saving time as the permanent standard across the country, eliminating the biannual clock changes. The bill was primarily championed by Florida Representative Vern Buchanan and has garnered support from former President Donald Trump, who believes it could save "Hundreds of Millions of Dollars" in costs associated with time changes and benefit the Republican Party.
Proponents of the bill, including Rep. Buchanan and Rep. Kat Cammack, argue that permanent daylight saving time could improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime rates, and encourage greater outdoor recreation. Tourism-heavy states like Florida and New Jersey are particularly supportive, seeing potential boosts in revenue from extended evening daylight. For example, the National Golf Course Owners Association estimates that losing evening daylight could cost the industry $1.6 billion in green fees alone.
However, the measure faces some opposition, particularly in the Senate. Senator Tom Cotton, for instance, warns that it would lead to "absurdly late" winter sunrises, forcing children to walk to school in the dark or requiring schools to adjust start times. Representative Mary Gay Scanlon also expressed concerns about negative health impacts and suggested that permanent standard time, as supported by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, would be a better solution. While the Senate unanimously approved a similar measure in 2022, its passage this time around remains uncertain, despite having bipartisan sponsors for its companion bill, S 29.
