Notes Health, Productivity Benefits and Political Headwinds
Buchanan Leads Sunshine Protection Act in Congress
WASHINGTON — Yesterday, Congressman Vern Buchanan penned an op-ed in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune calling on Congress to take action to making daylight saving time permanent by passing his bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act to “stop the clock on outdated policy and ‘spring forward’ for good.”
“The potential health benefits of permanent DST are substantial,” writes Buchanan in the op-ed. “A Republican trifecta in Washington that won in part for its promise to “Make America Healthy Again” would be smart to seize this opportunity.”
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., 20 states have since enacted legislation or passed similar resolutions.
Read the full op-ed here or below.
Daylight saving time should be permanent for a healthier, more productive America.
By Congressman Vern Buchanan
Today, Americans were forced to comply with a century-old practice that the majority of the public disagrees with: the twice-annual clock change.
Daylight saving time, or DST, was first implemented in the U.S. with the Standard Time Act of 1918 as a wartime policy intended to conserve energy during World War I. After alternating between national year-round DST during World War II and local-option DST over the following 20 years, Congress sought to bring standardization to time zones and DST dates with the Uniform Time Act in 1966.
In 2005, Congress voted to extend DST, originally observed for only six months in the U.S, to eight months, from March to November. Today, 20 years later, we now see 48 states change their clocks twice a year for only 18 weeks of standard time.
It’s time for Congress to take the next step to bring uniformity to our time system and make daylight saving time permanent.
It’s clear that Americans want to do away with changing their clocks twice a year, both here in Florida and throughout the country. In Florida, our state legislature overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation in 2018 to become the first state in the nation to adopt permanent DST. Across the U.S., 20 states have since enacted legislation or passed similar resolutions.
This is truly not a partisan issue, but instead, an everyday American issue. Republicans and Democrats agree that permanent DST is the path forward, with states ranging from Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina to Washington, Oregon and Maine wanting permanent DST. President Trump has also consistently said that he wants to end the practice of changing our clocks.
States cannot make the change to permanent DST on their own, however, without express approval from Congress. That’s why I urge my colleagues in Congress to pass my bipartisan legislation, the Sunshine Protection Act. My bill, which is championed by Sen. Rick Scott in the Senate, would end the biannual clock change while allowing states and territories that choose to not observe DST to continue to do so.
With 50 percent of those who want to end the time shift favoring permanent DST over only 31 percent preferring permanent standard time, it’s clear that the momentum is on our side.
The potential health benefits of permanent DST are substantial. With a staggering 43 percent of adults and 20 percent of children in the U.S. suffering from obesity, we need to consider all tools at our disposal to tackle this chronic health crisis. Research demonstrates that the extra daylight at the end of the day can help combat obesity. Studies in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity and the Journal of Physical Activity and Health show that during this time, children experience an increase in physical activity. Further research also found that the extra hour of evening daylight increases pedestrian activity by 62 percent and cyclists’ activity by 38 percent. A Republican trifecta in Washington that won in part for its promise to “Make America Healthy Again” would be smart to seize this opportunity.
Permanent DST can make us safer. Studies in the American Journal of Public Health and the Journal of Safety Research show that the shift would reduce fatal car crashes by increasing visibility for commuting drivers. Researchers with the Brookings Institution also found that robbery rates drop by a stunning 27 percent during the extra evening hour of daylight and that the four week extension of DST in 2007 saved $59 million per year in avoided social costs by reducing evening robberies.
Making DST permanent could also present workforce productivity benefits. A recent survey found that 43 percent of employed respondents say the week after DST ends in the fall is their most unproductive at work. Recent research also found that changing our clocks in the spring can negatively affect worker productivity for up to two weeks. That’s a lot more than just one groggy Monday.
Popular will, political headwinds and tangible benefits are on our side. It’s time to stop the clock on outdated policy and “spring forward” for good.
Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican, represents Florida’s 16th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. He serves as Vice Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and Chair of the Health Subcommittee.
