Sunshine Protection Act hits a wall in the House

Those hoping that Daylight Saving Time would become permanent in the United States are going to be disappointed because it has hit a brick wall in the House.

Though it’s not completely off the table, there are some impediments to the legislation being passed, which consist mainly of disagreements over its language and a general consensus that other matters take precedence over the time change issue.

Other, more pressing issues for the politicians on Capitol Hill include gun massacres, soaring inflation and fending off judicial threats on issues such as marriage equality and abortion.

“I can’t say it’s a priority,” Rep. Frank Pallone, D-NJ, the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, told The Hill. “We have so many other priorities, but it doesn’t mean because it’s not a priority that we’re not trying to work on it. We are. If we can accomplish anything it wouldn’t be until the fall.”

So maybe there is hope, after all. It sounds like they are trying to prioritize the issues they must deal with and making a decision on whether to make Daylight Saving Time permanent certainly pales in comparison to inflation and gun massacres.

However, before any action can be taken, lawmakers must agree on whether the permanent time should be daylight saving or standard. It’s an issue they continue to grapple with, despite agreeing that spring forward and fall back should be done away with. The disagreements are based on geographical location rather than party affiliation.

Lawmakers in tourism areas, for example, are generally in favor of daylight saving time because they want visitors to stay out later, according to Pallone. But in rural locations that have large farm communities, an extra hour in the morning is optimal.

“It’s not at all partisan,” Pallone said in The Hill report. “It’s totally, you know, regional and depends on your district.”

Religion also plays a part, as at least one lawmaker has received push-back from Yeshivas, on the measure because they are worried that the new time system will conflict with morning prayers.

Hopefully a decision will be made by the fall, but that is quickly approaching. It’s understandable that this is not at the top of the priority list for the House, but it would be nice if they could figure it out, considering the Sunshine Protection Act was approved by the Senate, in March.