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Sen. Rubio Once Again Reintroduces Permanent Daylight Savings Bill

Thursday, March 2, 2023 12:19 pm | 2 Minute Read

Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Marco Rubio, R-Fla., talks to reporters after a closed-door briefing on the Chinese surveillance balloon that flew over the United States recently, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, together with 11 other senators, reintroduced legislation Thursday to make Daylight Savings Time(DST) permanent.

Hotly debated and attempted several times for decades, the change would “lock the clock,” in the words of the senators. Rubio, a Republican, says that the measure has “overwhelming” bipartisan support; of the 12 senators who signed, four were Democrats.

Previous attempts by Rubio to pass the legislation, called the Sunshine Protection Act, have passed through the Senate but stalled in the House of Representatives.

“This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” Rubio said.

A companion legislation in the House was introduced by Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican from Florida.

Over the past six years, 19 states have introduced legislation to make DST permanent, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, but the change would require congressional approval.

Currently, only Hawaii and Arizona have year-long DST.

Sen. Ed Markey of Masachusetts, a Democrat who signed on the bill, said that Congress already extended DST in 2007, and that “It’s past time for Congress to broaden its horizons and finally make daylight saving time permanent. With the Sunshine Protection Act, we can shine a light on the darkest days of the year and deliver more sun, more smiles, and brighter skies.”

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