The U.S. House of Representatives has advanced a bill that would make daylight saving time (DST) permanent, ending the practice of adjusting clocks twice a year. The bill, which has the backing of former President Trump, now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Republican Representative Vern Buchanan of Florida, who introduced the legislation in January 2025, stated that the clock changes disrupt schedules "for no good reason." An identical bill, also named the Sunshine Protection Act, was introduced in the Senate in January 2025 by Florida Republican Rick Scott.
The practice of setting clocks forward in the summer for more afternoon daylight and to conserve electricity dates back to World War I. Initially unpopular with farmers, DST was repealed after the war. It returned during World War II, and a law passed in 1966 standardized clock-changing across the country. However, some states, including Hawaii and Arizona, along with U.S. territories like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, have opted out of the system.
Clocks are typically rolled back in the autumn to revert to standard time. The bill's passage in the House marks a significant step in the ongoing discussion about whether to continue the biannual time adjustments.