Daylight Saving Time in US: Senators reintroduce bill to make it permanent

Florida senator, Marco Rubio, is advocating for the permanent adoption of daylight saving time in the US. He has reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that aims to eliminate the practice of changing the clocks twice a year, which he considers outdated. Although the bill received unanimous support in the Senate last year, it faced a delay when it was sent to the House of Representatives.

In a statement, he expressed his frustration with the practice of changing time twice a year, calling it "stupid." He believes that there is strong bipartisan and public support for permanently setting the clock, and he hopes that Congress can pass the bill this year.

If the bill is approved, daylight saving time, which currently runs from March to November in the US, would become the standard time throughout the year. Representative Vern Buchanan has also introduced similar legislation, citing significant health and economic advantages to making daylight saving time permanent.


According to Rubio, Florida lawmakers have already passed a bill to establish year-round daylight saving time in their state, and he believes Congress should follow suit by passing the Sunshine Protection Act.

Senator James Lankford, who has co-sponsored the bill, believes that it is long overdue for the bill to be sent to the President's desk, so people can rid themselves of the inconvenience and annoyance of changing their clocks twice a year.



Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota shares Rubio's sentiments, stating that switching the clocks is a futile practice that deprives people of daylight during the darkest months of the year.

Daylight saving time was initially introduced in the US in 1918 as a means to conserve energy during the First World War. However, it was only officially enacted as law in 1966 under the Uniform Time Act.

The UK also adopted daylight savings during the war, with 1916 marking the first year of British Summer Time (BST). In 1968, BST was made a permanent fixture in an experiment that lasted three years.

One of the primary reasons for changing the clocks is the argument that lighter mornings in winter reduce the number of child fatalities in traffic accidents while commuting to school. However, during the BST experiment, the number of accidents increased significantly.

FAQs:

1. How many time zones does the USA have?
   As per the law, there are up to 9 time zones across the states.
2. What are the four main time zones of the USA?
   Eastern, Central, Mountain and Pacific