U.S. House Passes Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

Why it matters locally: If the Sunshine Protection Act becomes law, North Carolinians would no longer adjust their clocks twice a year, resulting in later sunrises in winter and later sunsets in summer across the state.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. The legislation, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, received a voice vote from House members on Tuesday. The bill now proceeds to the Senate for further consideration. If the Senate approves the measure, it would then go to the President for his signature. Should the bill become law, states would no longer adjust their clocks forward in the spring and back in the fall. The change would mean later sunrises in winter months and later sunsets in summer months across participating areas. The U.S. has observed Daylight Saving Time for most of the past 100 years. The practice involves advancing clocks by one hour during warmer months and returning them to standard time during colder months.