WASHINGTON, July 17 (DC Times Online) — The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation that would end the twice-yearly clock change and make daylight saving time the national standard.
The bill, H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, passed the House in Washington, D.C., on July 14 in a 308-117 vote, according to the House and reporting from Reuters, NBC News, The New York Times and CBS News. The measure now goes to the Senate.
What the House passed
The legislation would keep the country on daylight saving time all year instead of moving clocks back in the fall and forward in the spring. Reuters, NBC News, CBS News and The New York Times all reported that the bill would stop the seasonal time changes that affect most of the country.
In a House Committee on Energy and Commerce press release, Chairman Brett Guthrie, Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan described the bill as a step toward ending the clock changes. Buchanan, whom the committee identified as the bill’s sponsor, said, “Today, the House took an important step toward ending the outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year by passing my bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act.”
How the bill would affect states
The legislation is not described in the reporting as a one-size-fits-all rule. Reuters, NBC News, CBS News and The New York Times reported that states could opt out or exempt themselves under the measure.
That matters because some states already do not use daylight saving time. CBS News reported that Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time year-round.
Where the bill stands now
The House vote sends the measure to the Senate, where its fate is still uncertain, according to Reuters and The New York Times.
The House committee also said the Sunshine Protection Act was included in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, which the committee approved by a 48-1 vote.
For now, the House passage marks one more step in a long-running debate over whether Americans should keep changing their clocks twice a year or stay on one time system all year long.
