The US House of Representatives has approved legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent, advancing a long-running effort to eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes observed across most of the country.

The Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139) passed the US House on a bipartisan 308-117 vote and now heads to the US Senate.

Maryland’s congressional delegation split evenly on the bill. Representatives Sarah Elfreth, April McClain Delaney, Kweisi Mfume, and Johnny Olszewski voted in favor, while Representatives Andy Harris, Steny Hoyer, Glenn Ivey, and Jamie Raskin voted against.

Under current federal law, most states move clocks forward one hour each spring and back one hour each fall. States cannot adopt permanent daylight saving time on their own, although Arizona and Hawaii currently observe permanent standard time under existing federal law. The bill would establish daylight saving time as the year-round national standard while preserving existing exemptions authorized under federal law.

The debate has persisted for decades. Supporters argue permanent daylight saving time would eliminate the disruption of changing clocks twice each year while providing more evening daylight. Opponents argue the change would result in darker winter mornings, raising concerns about school bus schedules, morning commutes, and public safety.

Congress came close to approving the change in 2022, when the US Senate unanimously passed similar legislation. The US House, however, never took up the bill before the end of that Congress. Earlier efforts to adopt year-round daylight saving time, including during the 1970s energy crisis, were later repealed.

The White House has expressed support for the legislation, but the bill’s future remains uncertain. The US Senate must also approve the measure before it can be sent to the president for signature.

Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.