Senators introduce measure making daylight saving time permanent year-round

(The Hill) — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) re-introduced legislation to make Daylight Saving Time year-round on Tuesday, touting bipartisan support for the measure.

“I hear from Americans constantly that they are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year – it’s an unnecessary, decades-old practice that’s more of an annoyance to families than benefit to them,” Scott said in a statement. 

The bill would keep time permanently "forward," meaning clocks would not be set back at the end of fall, making sunrise and sunset come later in the day during winter months.

“I’m excited to have President Trump back in the White House and fully on board to LOCK THE CLOCK so we can get this good bill passed and make this common-sense change that will simplify and benefit the lives of American families,” Scott said.

His efforts are being supported by Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ron Wyden (R-Ore.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.). 

“The head-spinning ritual of falling back and springing forward has a very real impact on our economy, our health, and our happiness,” Markey said of the bill.

“Let’s say goodbye to 4pm winter sunsets and pass the Sunshine Protection Act for permanent Daylight Saving Time — permanently springing forward for brighter evenings year-round.” 

Scott's move marks the latest chapter in the long-running debate inside and outside Congress over whether to scrap the status quo and over which permanent time would be better.

Trump last month called for the elimination of Daylight Savings, though even some lawmakers aren't quite sure what he wants.

“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” Trump posted on Truth Social in December.

The golf industry has historically backed making daylight saving time permanent, for lighter evenings, while sleep experts say it would be healthier to keep clocks permanently set back, for lighter mornings.

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) is among the GOP skeptics of eliminating the clock change.

“In some states when we went on permanent daylight saving time, it became a safety issue and a very serious one,” he previously told The Hill. “Basically, it required people who get up and go to work in the morning to do so in pitch darkness for quite a bit of the year."

Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who has led the House version of the bill, said he expects the bill to be brought up in a House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing at some point.