U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is once again pushing the “Sunshine Protection Act” to have states make Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent.
Early in 2018, Rubio introduced the “Sunshine Protection Act” after the Florida Legislature passed a bill calling on Congress to make DST permanent across the state. More than a dozen other states–Arkansas, Alabama, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming — have passed similar proposals. Back in March 2019, Rubio and U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., brought back a proposal making DST permanent across the country. They brought it back yet again in 2021 and earlier this year.
“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support. This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” Rubio said in March when he brought the proposal back.
“There are enormous health and economic benefits to making daylight saving time permanent. Florida lawmakers have already voted to make daylight saving time permanent in my home state and Congress should pass the Sunshine Protection Act to move Florida and the rest of the country to year-round daylight saving time,” said Buchanan.
More than a dozen senators from both sides of the aisle, including U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., are backing Rubio’s proposal. The bill was sent to the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
Buchanan’s bill was sent to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. More than a dozen House Republicans have lined up behind it as co-sponsors including U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, Bill Posey, John Rutherford, Maria Elvira Salazar and Michael Waltz of Florida.
The bill cleared the Senate in the past two years but did not get a floor vote in the House.
With Americans falling back an hour over the weekend, at the end of last week, Rubio showcased the proposal.
“The practice of changing our clocks has outlived its purpose. Yet, we continue to fall back and spring forward. My Sunshine Protection Act would end this biannual and confusing practice. It is time to ‘Lock the Clock,’” he said.
Scott also weighed in on the bill at the end of last week.
“Permanent daylight saving time means more time in the sunshine and that’s something everybody should support. I constantly hear from Floridians on this – changing the clock twice a year is outdated, confusing and completely unnecessary. When I was governor of Florida, I was proud to sign a bill into law that will stop the clocks on the state level, but we need federal action. I’m proud to fight alongside Senator Rubio to pass our bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act and make a permanent change that benefits families in Florida and across the nation. It’s time to get this bill across the finish line and on the president’s desk,” Scott said.
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