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.
Clear support in DC
Just last week my Sunshine Protection Act – which would put Daylight Saving Time (DST) in effect year-round – cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee by an overwhelming 48-1 vote.
It is now headed to the House floor.
President Donald 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.
Florida Sen. 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 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.
Clear benefits to permanent DST
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% of adults and 20% 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 more than 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% 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.
Not a partisan issue
Florida led the way in 2018 when our state Legislature overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation to make daylight saving time permanent.
Since then 18 more 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 Sen. 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 – and 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.
Let’s 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 more than 30 years and chaired both the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and Florida Chamber of Commerce.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Time to lock the clock for good with Daylight Saving Time | Opinion
Reporting by U.S. Rep Vern Buchanan Guest columnist, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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