The Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139) would end the twice-yearly clock change and make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide — more evening light, a stronger economy, and healthier Americans. One chamber down. One to go.
Tell Your Senators → Read H.R. 139On July 14, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 308–117. The bill now moves to the Senate.
📜 Full bill text and status: H.R. 139 on Congress.gov | S. 29 (Senate companion)
Daylight Saving Time began as a World War I fuel-saving measure in 1918, was revived in World War II, and was standardized by the Uniform Time Act of 1966 after decades of chaotic local patchworks. Congress has extended DST twice since — in 1986 and again in 2005 — so that Americans now spend nearly eight months of every year on Daylight Saving Time and only about four on "standard" time. DST is already the de facto American clock; the law just forces us to abandon it every November.
The original rationale — saving lamp oil and coal — no longer fits a modern economy of air conditioning, LEDs, and 24/7 commerce. Modern studies of energy use find the savings from switching are negligible. What remains is the disruption: twice a year, 330 million people shift their sleep, schedules, school buses, flights, and servers by an hour, for essentially no benefit.
The public agrees. Polls consistently find that a large majority of Americans want to stop changing the clocks, and about 20 states have passed legislation or resolutions to adopt permanent DST — laws that cannot take effect until Congress acts. The Sunshine Protection Act is that act.
Congress adopts Daylight Saving Time to conserve fuel during World War I. It's repealed a year later after public backlash.
FDR reinstates year-round DST during World War II. Afterward, states and cities set clocks however they please — creating scheduling chaos.
Congress standardizes the twice-yearly switch nationwide — locking in the "spring forward, fall back" system we still endure today.
Amid the energy crisis, the U.S. tries year-round DST in January. Dark winter mornings sour the public and Congress repeals it — a lesson today's supporters say no longer applies to modern schedules.
Congress extends DST twice, to nearly eight months a year. Daylight Saving Time becomes America's de facto clock.
Florida passes the first state Sunshine Protection Act. About 20 states follow with laws or resolutions for permanent DST — all blocked until Congress acts.
The Senate passes the Sunshine Protection Act by unanimous consent, but the bill dies in the House. Proof the Senate can do this.
Rep. Vern Buchanan introduces H.R. 139 and Sen. Rick Scott introduces companion S. 29, which clears the Senate Commerce Committee with 18 bipartisan cosponsors.
With President Trump's backing, the House approves permanent Daylight Saving Time by an overwhelming bipartisan margin.
One vote stands between America and the end of clock changes forever. Contact your senators today.
Evening daylight is when Americans shop, dine, golf, and gather. The research shows that when we "fall back," the economy falls back with us.
The JPMorgan Chase Institute analyzed millions of credit and debit card transactions around the Los Angeles time transitions. The spring shift to DST boosted daily card spending, while the fall return to standard time cut daily spending by roughly 2.2%–4.9% (about 3.5% in L.A.) — a measurable, recurring drag on retail every November.
Source: JPMorgan Chase Institute, "Shedding Light on Daylight Saving Time"
The golf industry alone estimates $200–$400 million per year in additional revenue from extended evening daylight, and outdoor recreation, youth sports, and tourism see similar late-day gains. Convenience retailers report 1–3% higher evening foot traffic during DST months.
Sources: National Golf Foundation estimates; National Association of Convenience Stores, via CBS News and Money
The Monday after "spring forward" has been dubbed a national productivity sinkhole: sleep-deprived workers show measurably more "cyberloafing," more errors, and more workplace injuries. Estimates of the annual cost of clock-change disruption to the U.S. economy run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
"One hour of evening light is worth more to American families and small businesses than an hour of dawn light most people sleep through."
Honest note: some economists, such as PNC's Kurt Rankin, caution that the net GDP effect of permanent DST is modest — likely a fraction of a tenth of a percent (Money). But even skeptics agree the twice-yearly switch imposes real, avoidable costs — which is exactly what this bill eliminates.
A stable, consistent clock with more usable evening daylight supports exercise, mood, and public safety.
Extended evening daylight is associated with more outdoor physical activity in children and adults. Conversely, the abrupt fall return to standard time is linked to a documented ~11% spike in depressive episodes in a large Danish registry study, as evenings suddenly go dark.
Sources: American Heart Association; Danish psychiatric registry analysis, via The Conversation
Robberies fall roughly 7% when DST extends evening daylight — with an even larger ~27% drop during the newly lit evening hour — because most street crime happens after work, not at dawn. Evening pedestrian fatalities also decline when the commute home is lit.
Source: Doleac & Sanders crime study, discussed in TIME
Whatever clock the nation picks, physicians agree on one thing: the transitions themselves are the most harmful part of the current system. A permanent, year-round time ends the biannual circadian whiplash entirely.
Source: Rush University Medical Center
Decades of peer-reviewed research document what the clock change does to the human body every March and November. This is the problem H.R. 139 solves.
| Documented harm | Finding | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Heart attacks | Hospital admissions for heart attacks rose 24% on the Monday after the spring shift in a study of Michigan hospitals. | UAB / Open Heart study |
| Strokes | Ischemic stroke rates were 8% higher in the two days after a clock transition in a Finnish national study; higher still for cancer patients and those over 65. | Franciscan Health / Finnish registry study |
| Fatal car crashes | Fatal traffic accidents rise about 6% in the week after "spring forward" — an estimated 28 additional deaths per year attributable to the switch. | UT Southwestern / Current Biology (2020) |
| Sleep & circadian disruption | Losing an hour of sleep strains the cardiovascular system and impairs judgment, mood, and immune function for days — effects strongest in people with existing heart disease. | American Heart Association |
| Mental health | Clock transitions are linked to increased rates of depression and mood disturbance, alongside documented links to workplace injuries and medical errors. | The Conversation (neurologist analysis) |
For balance: a 2025 Duke University analysis found smaller acute effects than earlier studies, and some sleep scientists — including a Stanford Medicine team and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine — argue permanent standard time would align better with human circadian biology. Critics also point to America's brief, unpopular experiment with year-round DST in 1974, when dark winter mornings led Congress to repeal it. Supporters respond that today's work and school schedules, lighting, and eight-months-a-year DST reality are very different from 1974 — and that on the central point, nearly everyone now agrees: the switching must end.
The House has done its job. Now S. 29 / H.R. 139 needs a Senate vote. A five-minute call or email makes a difference — Senate offices tally every constituent contact.
U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 — ask to be connected to your senator's office.
Find your senators' direct lines and contact forms: senate.gov — Contact Your Senators
Suggested script: "Hi, my name is [name] and I'm a constituent from [city]. I'm calling to ask the Senator to support and vote YES on the Sunshine Protection Act — S. 29 / H.R. 139 — which just passed the House 308 to 117. Please end the clock changes and make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Thank you."
| Senator | Why they matter | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) | Senate sponsor of S. 29 — thank him and ask how to help | rickscott.senate.gov |
| Sen. John Thune (R-SD) | Senate Majority Leader — controls whether the bill gets a floor vote | thune.senate.gov |
| Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) | Chair, Senate Commerce Committee (the bill's committee of jurisdiction) | cruz.senate.gov |
| Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) | Leading Democratic cosponsor pushing for a quick floor vote | murray.senate.gov |
| Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) | Cosponsor and longtime "Sun King" of DST extension legislation | markey.senate.gov |
| Your two home-state senators | Constituent contacts count the most | Find yours at senate.gov |
Tip: emails and calls from actual constituents are weighted far more heavily than out-of-state messages. Start with your own senators, then thank the champions above.