The U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to approve legislation that would end the twice-a-year clock change and keep most of the country on permanent daylight saving time, the clock setting used during the summer months.
The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in a 308-117 vote, sending the measure to the Senate for consideration. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, Americans in most states would no longer “spring forward” in March and “fall back” in November. Instead, clocks would remain one hour ahead of standard time throughout the year.
The proposal has bipartisan support from lawmakers who say the twice-yearly clock change disrupts sleep, creates confusion, affects work schedules and contributes to safety concerns. Supporters also argue that later sunsets during the winter months would give families, commuters and businesses more usable daylight in the evening.
President Donald Trump has supported ending the clock changes, and the White House said the measure would eliminate the “time, hassle, and cost” of changing clocks twice each year. Trump has also indicated he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
The issue has come before Congress before. In March 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a similar version of the Sunshine Protection Act, but the measure stalled after the House did not take it up. This time, the House has acted first, leaving the bill’s future in the Senate uncertain.
Texas News Express reporter Amy Barnes spoke with Matthew Grant of College Station, Texas, who said he supports ending the semi-annual time change.
“I’m glad to stop having to deal with the time change twice a year,” Grant said. “It will make life easier, and we can stop having the same news clips about it every spring and fall.”
Grant said the change would simplify daily routines for families, schools and businesses that adjust schedules around the time change.
“It just seems unnecessary at this point,” Grant said. “Most people I know are tired of changing clocks and having their sleep thrown off.”
Not everyone agrees that permanent daylight saving time is the best solution. Critics say keeping the country on daylight saving time year-round would create much darker winter mornings, especially in northern states and in western portions of time zones.
Amy Barnes also interviewed Susan Greens, who has a PhD in biology and psychology and works as a clinical researcher. Greens said permanent daylight saving time could negatively affect the body’s normal sleep cycle and circadian rhythm during the winter months.
“The concern is not only the clock change itself,” Greens said. “It is the long-term mismatch between the clock and natural morning light. In the northern portion of the country, sunrise in the winter may not happen until sometime between 8:30 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., depending on location.”
Greens said morning light helps regulate hormones, alertness, mood and sleep patterns. She said delayed sunrise could make it harder for some people to wake naturally, especially students, shift workers and people already vulnerable to sleep disorders or seasonal mood changes.
The United States has tried permanent daylight saving time before. Congress enacted year-round daylight saving time in 1974 during the energy crisis, but the policy became unpopular because of dark winter mornings and concerns about children traveling to school before sunrise. Congress later repealed the change.
The current bill would not affect states and territories that do not observe daylight saving time, such as Hawaii and most of Arizona, unless they chose to change their own laws. Some states, including Texas, have already passed measures supporting permanent daylight saving time, but those state laws cannot fully take effect without federal approval.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to weigh public frustration with changing clocks against concerns from sleep experts, transportation groups and senators from states where winter sunrise would come much later under permanent daylight saving time.
