House advances bill to make daylight saving time permanent
The House moved to allow states to observe daylight saving time year-round.
Congress is one step closer to making daylight saving time permanent.
On July 14, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow states to institute daylight saving time year-round, changing their existing practice of changing their clocks twice a year.
If the bill, which passed the House 308-117, passes the Senate and is signed into law, it would all but eliminate the practice of setting clocks forward an hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall.
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), passed the House after years of efforts in Congress to reform daylight saving time failed.
Here’s what you need to know about the latest efforts to make daylight saving time permanent.
What is daylight saving time?
Daylight saving time is the practice of setting clocks forward one hour from March to November to get more sunlight during the summer.
According to the Library of Congress, the system was first established in 1918 as a fuel cost saving measure during World War I.
Daylight saving time became federal law under the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Under this law, some states can choose to waive daylight savings time. According to the Department of Transportation, daylight saving time is not in effect in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and most parts of Arizona.
Daylight savings bill introduced in Senate
Although the bill to make daylight savings time permanent was passed by the House of Representatives, it will take some time before it becomes law.
It heads next to the Senate, whose fate remains uncertain. If the bill passes the Senate, it will go to President Donald Trump’s desk to sign into law.
President Trump has expressed support for permanent daylight savings time in the past, and if the bill passes the Senate, he is likely to sign it into law.
Most recently, in a post on Truth Social in May, he said daylight saving time is a “twice-a-year nonsense.”
“I will work hard to get the Sun Protection Act signed into law. It’s time for people to stop worrying about the ‘clock’,” he wrote.
What does it mean to make daylight saving time permanent?
If permanent daylight saving time were to become law, the “spring forward” period in March and the “backward step” in November would be abolished.
This means that the sun rises and sets later for a large part of the year.
Supporters like Buchanan argue that permanent daylight saving time would have positive health effects. Critics, including the group Airlines for America, say it will have a big impact on travelers.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. X Keep up with her at @melinakh and on Instagram @bymelinakhan.
