A bipartisan bill would end the twice-yearly clock change by making standard time the national default.
States could still choose to observe daylight saving time instead, giving them more local control.
Medical and sleep health organizations are backing the proposal, citing potential health and safety benefits.
Twice each year, millions of Americans reset their clocks as the country switches between standard time and daylight saving time. Now, a bipartisan group of lawmakers wants to bring that practice to an end.
Congressman Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) have introduced the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, legislation that would make standard time the permanent national default while giving individual states the option to adopt permanent daylight saving time if they prefer.
According to the lawmakers, the goal is to replace the current nationwide requirement with a more flexible approach that allows states to decide what works best for their residents.
"It's hard to find anyone who enjoys changing the clocks twice a year, yet Americans have been stuck with the same outdated policy for decades. The Sunshine for Our Kids Act replaces that one-size-fits-all mandate with a smarter approach by making standard time the default while allowing states to decide what works best for their own communities," Congressman Harrigan said in a news release.
What the legislation would do
If enacted, the bill would repeal the federal daylight saving time mandate established under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Instead, standard time would become the default across the country.
The legislation would not require every state to stay on standard time forever. Rather, states would have the flexibility to adopt daylight saving time on their own. For states that span more than one time zone, the proposal would even allow different time zones within the same state to make separate decisions. Supporters say that approach gives communities greater control over a policy that has traditionally been determined at the federal level.
Backers of the bill also point to statements from physicians and sleep experts who say permanent standard time better aligns with natural circadian rhythms.
“Permanent standard time is the healthier choice for all Americans,” said Dr. Fariha Abbasi-Feinberg, a board-certified sleep medicine physician in Fort Myers, Florida, and the president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
“We are grateful to Representatives Scanlon and Harrigan for championing legislation that puts health and safety first and helps ensure that mornings are better aligned with natural light and human circadian rhythms.”
What this could mean for consumers
For consumers, the proposal would primarily affect how time is observed throughout the year. If the legislation becomes law, Americans would no longer need to change their clocks twice annually unless their state chooses to adopt permanent daylight saving time.
The measure has drawn bipartisan support in Congress, and according to the bill's cosponsor list, lawmakers from both parties have signed on. Medical and sleep health organizations have also endorsed the legislation, arguing that permanent standard time is the better long-term choice for public health.
"Permanent standard time will lead to a healthier, safer, and more productive America. Natural standard time has a proven track record of improving public health, student performance, and economic output. Permanent standard time ends the harms of clock changes while best aligning with human circadian biology,” said Dr. Karin Johnson and Jay Pea, co-chairs of the Coalition for Permanent Standard Time.
For now, however, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act remains a proposed bill. It will need to advance through the legislative process before any changes to the nation's timekeeping system take effect.