The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent, sending the Sunshine Protection Act to the Senate for consideration. The vote on July 14 was 308-117. If enacted, Americans would no longer need to adjust their clocks twice a year.
Proponents, including President Donald Trump, argue that permanent DST would provide more sunlight in the afternoons and evenings, allowing people to return home from work and children from school in daylight. Supporters also suggest that extended daylight hours could boost outdoor activities and potentially reduce electricity consumption.
However, the change would also result in later sunrises during the winter months. In northern U.S. cities, such as Detroit, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis, the sun could rise after 9 a.m. in January. For most major cities, including New York, Chicago, and San Francisco, sunrise would occur between 8 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. in December and January. This could mean millions of schoolchildren and commuters traveling in darkness during the morning rush hour.
Currently, DST is observed from the first Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 established DST nationally, aiming to provide more natural daylight in the evenings during warmer months. The practice has faced criticism for disrupting the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, known as circadian rhythms. Health experts and studies have linked the biannual clock changes to disruptions in sleep, increased risks of heart issues, mood changes, and a rise in car accidents and workplace errors in the days following the time shifts.
Research from the University of Chicago and Sweden's Karolinska Institute indicated that losing an hour of sleep in the spring may increase the risk of heart problems by 4%, car crashes by 30%, and mental health issues by 9%. Additionally, earlier sunsets in the winter following the fall back to standard time have been associated with reduced serotonin production and the worsening of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
A 2017 study from Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, which analyzed hospital records from over 3.7 million people in the U.S., found an 11% increase in hospital visits for depression in the ten weeks after falling back to standard time. The White House has endorsed the Sunshine Protection Act, characterizing it as a "popular, common-sense reform." Conversely, medical groups like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have expressed opposition, arguing that year-round standard time better aligns with natural sleep cycles. Arizona and Hawaii currently do not observe DST. It remains unclear if Arizona would be required to adopt DST as the standard time under the proposed legislation.
