WASHINGTON – A measure that’s received bipartisan support from lawmakers to make daylight saving time permanent beginning in 2023 unanimously passed the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
As mentioned in a news release from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s office, R-Fla. Florida’s legislature in 2018 enacted year-round DST, but for the change to apply, a change in federal statute is required.
“The good news is that we can get this passed. We don’t have to keep doing this stupidity anymore. Why we would enshrine this in our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me,” Rubio said on the Senate floor. “Hopefully, this is the year that this gets done. And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.”
The news release notes that 19 other states — Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming — have passed similar laws, resolutions or voter initiatives.
The bill still needs to get through the House and signed into law by President Joe Biden. Then, the Sunshine Protection Act would apply to those states that currently participate in DST. States that state on Standard Time year-round would still do so.
Daylight saving: Some pros and cons
The following information is provided by procon.org.
Pro: Longer daylight hours promote safety. Economists Jennifer Doleac and Nicholas Sanders found that robberies drop 7% overall and 27% in the evening hours following the time change in spring. “Most street crime occurs in the evening around common commuting hours of 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and more ambient light during typical high-crime hours makes it easier for victims and passers-by to see potential threats and later identify wrongdoers,” they wrote.
The daylight in the evening also makes it safer for dog walkers, joggers and children playing outside because drivers can see better.
Con: It’s bad for your health. A study found the risk of heart attack increases 10% on the Monday and Tuesday following DST. Data also shows an increase in cluster headaches and an increased risk of a deadly car crash.
RELATED: How daylight saving time affects sleep
Pro: It promotes an active lifestyle. Research shows as the light stays around later, more people are participating in outdoor activities after work. “people engaged in more outdoor recreation and less indoor-TV watching… An additional 3 percent of people engaged in outdoor behaviors who otherwise would have stayed indoors,” according to Hendrik Wolff, PhD.
Con: Daylight saving is expensive. William Shughart II, economist at Utah State University, says the act of changing clocks costs Americans $1.7 billion in lost opportunity based on average hourly wages. The Air Transport Association estimated it cost the airline industry $147 million in 2007 because of confused time schedules.
Pro: It’s good for the economy. With the extra light, more people are shopping after work. The golf industry reported that one month of DST was forth $200 to $400, meaning more could play golf.
Con: A drop in productivity. The Monday after the change is known as “Sleepy Monday.”
