U.S. House to vote next week on permanent daylight saving

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next week on legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent across the nation, reigniting a long-running debate over the biannual practice of changing clocks. The vote, announced in a notice posted on July 9, follows a committee vote in May that advanced the measure known as the Sunshine Protection Act.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican, aims to end the semiannual time shifts by establishing daylight saving time as the year-round standard. The proposal includes a provision allowing states to opt out of the change. This marks the latest attempt to settle the issue after the U.S. Senate voted unanimously in March 2022 to make daylight saving time permanent, a measure that subsequently stalled in the House.

Supporters of the legislation argue that the current system of switching clocks disrupts sleep patterns, leads to more workplace injuries, and increases traffic accidents. They also contend that brighter evenings during winter months would encourage greater economic activity and outdoor recreation. Buchanan stated that ending the clock change is a commonsense reform that...