Staff Reports
There will be no turning back the clock if the House has its way.
The House passed a bill July 14 that would make daylight saving time permanent. The vote was 308-117.
Daylight saving time is the period between spring and fall when clocks in most parts of the U.S. are set one hour ahead of standard time. States could opt out if their respective legislatures act to do so before the bill’s enactment. The Senate would also have to pass the bill before it could be signed into law, but it’s unclear if it will do so.
PROS AND CONS OF MAKING DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENT
Proponents of the bill, including the White House, argued the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active.
Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R. Fla., said Americans are ready to “ditch the switch,” saying that changing the clock twice a year creates unnecessary disruption. Most importantly, he said, it would give families more daylight time in the evening to spend outdoors and support local businesses.
“In my home state of Florida, where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses, and visitors alike,” Bilirakis said.
Detractors said permanent daylight saving time would lead to darker and potentially more hazardous winter mornings where children will be waiting for school buses, and parents will be driving to work in darkness.
“Millions of Americans will wake up during the winter months in complete darkness with the sun not rising until long after people get up and travel to school or work or have to go about their days,” Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa., said.
Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said he supported the bill, but he questioned whether it was the best way for Congress to be spending its time.
“For folks getting crushed by rent, groceries, utility bills, and healthcare costs, is this really the best the majority can do?” he said. “Is this really the most pressing issue before the American people at this moment?”
New Mexico legislators considered House Bill 0112 during the 2026 session, which sought to exempt the state from annual time changes and establish Daylight Saving Time year-round. Ultimately, lawmakers postponed the measure indefinitely, mirroring the fate of past state-level attempts to alter timekeeping.
Introduced by Rep. John Block, HB 0112 faced hurdles and died in committee. New Mexico lawmakers have historically weighed the pros against the cons, but have yet to reach a consensus.
President Donald Trump has long decried the semiannual ritual of Americans changing their clocks, though his position on whether the country should default to standard or saving time has evolved.
He cheered the recent bill, the “Sunshine Protection Act,” when it advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in May.
“Hundreds of Millions of Dollars are spent every year by people, Cities, and States, being forced to change their Clocks,” he said in a Truth Social post. “It’s time that people can stop worrying about the ‘Clock,’ not to mention all of the work and money that is spent on this ridiculous, twice-yearly production. It will also be a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it!”
Members of Congress have long been interested in the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The Senate passed a bill four years ago to make daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House.
