Buchanan’s Sunshine Protection Act Marked Up in E&C Committee
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan released the following statement after his Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139), a bill to make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent year-round, was successfully marked up and sent to the House floor for consideration within the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act (H.R. 7389):
“My Sunshine Protection Act will bring us one step closer to ending the outdated and unpopular practice of changing our clocks twice a year. Floridians and Americans across the country are tired of the biannual time change, and the evidence is clear that permanent daylight saving time can improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime and encourage more outdoor activity.
“Ending the clock change is a commonsense reform that will improve everyday life for millions of Americans. I want to thank Chairman Guthrie and Subcommittee Chairman Bilirakis for advancing my longstanding legislative priority today and look forward to it becoming law.”
The Sunshine Protection Act was included as a provision within an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute (AINS) to the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, which was marked up and sent to the House floor by the House Energy and Commerce Committee today.
The Sunshine Protection Act would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. In Florida, the state legislature overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation in 2018 to become the first state in the nation to adopt permanent DST. Across the U.S., 19 states have since enacted legislation or passed similar resolutions.
The legislation has 32 bipartisan cosponsors in the House, and Senate companion legislation (S. 29) introduced by Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) has 18 bipartisan cosponsors. President Trump has also consistently said that he wants to end the twice-annual clock change.
Buchanan has introduced the Sunshine Protection Act each Congress since 2018.
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