“After Nearly a Decade of Work, With the Support of the President and Growing Momentum in Both Chambers, We Have a Real Chance to Deliver It.”
Op-Ed Details Health, Safety and Economic Benefits of Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent
WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, penned an op-ed in theSarasota Herald-Tribune making the case for his bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139), which would make daylight saving time permanent and end the twice-a-year clock change.
In the op-ed, Buchanan highlights the recent 48-1 Energy and Commerce Committee vote advancing his legislation to the House floor, President Trump’s support for the effort and Senator Rick Scott’s companion bill in the Senate. He also details research showing the public health, public safety and economic benefits of eliminating the biannual clock change.
“For nearly 10 years, I have been fighting to end a century-old practice that the majority of the public agrees has long outlived its purpose,” writes Buchanan in the op-ed. “Twice each year, we are forced to endure a disruptive routine that unsettles sleep schedules, reduces productivity and leaves families returning home from work and school to darker evenings.”
Read the full op-ed here or below:
Time to Lock the Clock for Good
Vern Buchanan
For nearly 10 years, I have been fighting to end a century-old practice that the majority of the public agrees has long outlived its purpose. Twice each year, we are forced to endure a disruptive routine that unsettles sleep schedules, reduces productivity and leaves families returning home from work and school to darker evenings. Today, we are closer than we have ever been to finally getting it done.
Just last week, my Sunshine Protection Act cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee by an overwhelming 48-1 vote and is now headed to the House floor. President Trump has thrown his full support behind the effort, calling it “an easy one” and pledging to work hard to see it signed into law. Senator Rick Scott is leading the companion legislation in the Senate, where I expect action before the end of the year. Everything is finally coming together to bring greater stability, safety and consistency to Americans’ daily lives. This is a commonsense reform that will improve everyday life for millions of Americans, and I intend to see it across the finish line.
Daylight saving time (DST) was first introduced more than a century ago as a wartime measure to conserve energy. The system was later standardized through the Uniform Time Act of 1966 and extended in 2005, yet Americans still spend nearly one-third of the year on standard time. While this practice once served a practical need, today the biannual clock change offers no real benefit and only disrupts the lives of millions nationwide.
The benefits of permanent DST are clear and well-documented. Studies published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and the Journal of Physical Activity and Health show that extended daylight in the evening hours encourages greater physical activity, especially among children. With roughly 43 percent of adults and 20 percent of children in the U.S. suffering from obesity, even modest increases in daily activity can have a significant impact on public health.
Research from Stanford Medicine also shows that the twice-yearly clock change disrupts circadian rhythms, increasing the risk of stroke and obesity. Researchers estimate that adopting permanent DST could help prevent over 220,000 strokes each year, reduce obesity by 1.7 million cases and improve overall well-being nationwide.
Permanent DST would also make our communities safer. Studies show that increased daylight reduces traffic accidents and evening robberies, while the 2007 extension of DST saved roughly $59 million each year in avoided social costs related to crime.
It would also strengthen our economy. Surveys indicate that 43 percent of employees identify the week following the fall time change as their least productive of the year, while other studies show that the spring transition can diminish efficiency for up to two weeks. By eliminating these needless disruptions, we can cultivate a workforce that is more focused, resilient and productive.
Florida led the way in 2018 when our state legislature overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation to make daylight saving time permanent. Since then, 18 other states have enacted or passed similar resolutions, but under federal law, states cannot make the change without congressional approval. That’s why I call upon my colleagues to pass my bipartisan legislation on the House floor and in the Senate to end the biannual clock change while allowing states and territories that choose to not observe DST to continue to do so.
This is not a partisan issue; it is an American one. Red and blue states alike have endorsed this commonsense reform. My Sunshine Protection Act now has more than two dozen bipartisan cosponsors in the U.S. House, and Senator Rick Scott is leading the companion legislation in the Senate.
Americans want more daylight and more consistency in their daily lives. After nearly a decade of work, with the support of the president and growing momentum in both chambers, we have a real chance to deliver it.
Let’s finish the job and give families in Florida and across the country the stability, safety and sunlight they deserve, once and for all.
Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) is the Vice Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and the Chair of the Health Subcommittee. Prior to serving in Congress, Buchanan was in business for over 30 years and chaired both the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and Florida Chamber of Commerce.
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