House Passes Daylight Savings Bill     07/15 06:10

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- There will be no turning back the clock if the House has 
its way.

   The House passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time 
permanent. Proponents, including the White House, argued the change would 
provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. The vote 
was 308-117.

   Daylight saving time is that period between spring and fall when clocks in 
most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. States 
could opt out if their respective legislatures act to do so before the bill's 
enactment. The Senate would also have to pass the bill before it could be 
signed into law, but it's unclear if it will do so.

   Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said Americans are ready to "ditch the switch," 
saying that changing the clock twice a year creates unnecessary disruption. 
More important, he said, it would give families more daylight time in the 
evening to spend outdoors and support local businesses.

   "In my home state of Florida where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, 
having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits 
workers, businesses and visitors alike," Bilirakis said.

   Detractors said permanent daylight saving time would lead to darker and 
potentially more hazardous winter mornings where children will be waiting for 
school buses and parents will be driving to work in darkness.

   "Millions of Americans will wake up during the winter months in complete 
darkness with the sun not rising until long after people get up and travel to 
school or work or have to go about their days," said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, 
D-Pa.

   Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass, said he supported the bill, but he questioned 
whether it was the best way for Congress to be spending its time.

   "For folks getting crushed by rent, groceries, utility bills and healthcare 
costs, is this really the best the majority can do?" McGovern said. "Is this 
really the most pressing issue before the American people at this moment?"

   A 2025 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs 
Research shows that if forced to choose, most Americans would prefer to keep 
that extra hour of daylight in the evening.

   If they had to choose one option for the entire country to use, more than 
half of adults -- 56% -- prefer making daylight saving time permanent, with 
less light in the morning and more light in the evening. About 4 in 10 prefer 
standard time, with more light in the morning and less in the evening.

   The White House weighed in before the House vote, calling the "Sunshine 
Protection Act" a popular, common-sense reform and saying advisers would 
recommend the president sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

   Members of Congress have long been interested in the potential benefits and 
costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure 
in 1942. The Senate passed a bill four years ago to make daylight saving time 
permanent, but it stalled in the House.