House panel advances bill to make daylight saving time permanent

A key House committee has advanced legislation to make daylight saving time permanent across the United States, moving the country closer to ending the twice-yearly clock change. The House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 48-1 to include the Sunshine Protection Act in a broader transportation funding package, sending it to the full House for consideration.

The bill, championed for years by Representative Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.), would lock the clock on the current daylight saving time schedule, providing an extra hour of evening sunlight year-round. Supporters argue the change would improve public health by eliminating sleep disruptions linked to the time shifts, reduce traffic accidents, and boost economic activity. They also point to the cost and inconvenience of changing clocks twice annually.

President Donald Trump praised the committee's action, stating on social media that he would work to have the bill signed into law and calling the current system a "ridiculous, twice yearly production." Nineteen states, including Florida, Maine, and Texas, have already passed legislation to adopt permanent daylight saving time, but they require federal...