WASHINGTON, July 17 (DC Times Online) — The U.S. House of Representatives voted on July 14 to make daylight saving time permanent, moving Congress one step closer to ending the twice-a-year switch between standard time and daylight saving time.
The bill, H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, passed 308-117 in Washington, D.C., according to Reuters, NBC News, The New York Times and CBS News. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce said the chamber acted after the measure had previously been included in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, which the committee advanced by a 48-1 vote.
What does permanent daylight saving time mean?
Daylight saving time is the part of the year when clocks are set forward in the spring and back again in the fall. If Congress finishes the process and the bill becomes law, the country would no longer change clocks twice a year. Instead, daylight saving time would become the year-round standard.
Supporters say that would create a simpler, single time system. Critics of the current system have long argued that the clock changes are confusing and outdated.
What did House leaders say?
In a press release, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce quoted Rep. Vern Buchanan, the bill’s sponsor, as saying: “Today, the House took an important step toward ending the outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year by passing my bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act.”
The committee also said Rep. Brett Guthrie, its chairman, and Rep. Gus Bilirakis, chairman of the subcommittee that handled the measure, described the legislation as part of the push toward permanent daylight saving time.
Would all states follow the same rule?
Not necessarily. Reuters, NBC News, CBS News and The New York Times reported that the bill would allow states some path to opt out or exempt themselves, although the exact mechanism was described differently in each account.
CBS News noted that Hawaii and most of Arizona already stay on standard time year-round. That matters because any change to federal time rules does not affect every state in exactly the same way.
What happens next?
The House vote does not finish the process. The bill now goes to the Senate, which would have to approve it before it could become law.
For now, the main effect of the House vote is political and procedural: it keeps the idea of permanent daylight saving time alive and puts the question before the Senate.
