SPRINGING FORWARD

Measure would make change permanent

Florida and the rest of the U.S. jump ahead one hour Sunday, but will they never fall back? Sen. Marco Rubio continues to push his Sunshine Protection Act.

Florida and the rest of the U.S. springs forward an hour on Sunday, but will it never fall back?

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is continuing to urge U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., to hold hearings on Rubio’s Sunshine Protection Act in the Commerce Committee Wicker chairs.

The bill would make daylight saving time permanent across the country, meaning clocks would only jump forward an extra hour one more time before they stay there forever.

“On March 8 we have to spring our clocks forward again, and I hope it’s the last time we have to do it,” Rubio said in a statement. “It’s time for Congress to pass my Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent so we can stop this silly, outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year.”

The bill, first introduced in the 2017-18 session, has picked up a number of bipartisan co-sponsors this time around including Republican U.S. Sens Pat Toomey, R-Pa., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Democratic U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, Doug Jones, D-Ala., Dianne Feinstein, D-California, and Patty Murray, D-Washington.

Washington, Maine, Florida, California, Tennessee, South Carolina, Delaware, and Oregon have all passed laws that would make daylight saving time permanent with congressional approval, similar to a Florida bill signed by then-Gov. Rick Scott.

But state-by-state changes in daylight saving time laws had been criticized for their potential effects on sporting events, interstate commutes and commerce and other potential drawbacks – which is why Rubio has been pushing for a national bill.

Rubio and Hyde-Smith said the bill would create health benefits. They also claimed it would benefit the agricultural sector.

Any changes to daylight saving time would still face opposition from groups worried about increased darkness later in the morning.