Permanent DST Vote
House Committee Advances Bill for Permanent Daylight Saving, Sparks Debate
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Key Points
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In Ohio, under the permanent daylight saving time scenario, winter sunrises would be around 9 a.m. and sunsets would shift to roughly 6 p.m.
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President Donald Trump praised the Sunshine Protection Act, calling it potentially 'a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it!'
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The Sunshine for Our Kids Act of 2026 would make standard time permanent nationwide but would allow states to adopt daylight saving time if they choose, presenting a distinct alternative to making DST year-round.
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Historically, the Senate approved a permanent-DST measure in 2022, but the proposal stalled in the House, underscoring a long-running partisan impasse over clock changes.
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The House Rules Committee was scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. on July 13 to consider the Sunshine Protection Act, a step that could move the bill toward a House floor vote.
The U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote this week on the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent across the country, ending the twice-yearly clock changes that most Americans dislike. President Donald Trump has voiced support, writing that it could be "a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it!" MarketScreener reported.
The House Rules Committee was scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. on July 13 to consider the bill and decide on amendments, a key step before any full House floor vote, according to Tri-City Herald.
Senate Passed It in 2022, But House Stalled
This is not the first time Congress has tried to lock the clocks. The Senate passed a permanent daylight saving time bill in 2022, but it never got a House vote and died there. That years-long stall shows just how hard it has been to turn public frustration with clock changes into actual law, MarketScreener reported.
If the House passes the bill now, it would still need Senate approval before going to President Trump to sign. Both chambers agreeing is no sure thing. Regional differences — like later winter sunrises in states such as Ohio — and disagreements over the right approach have slowed progress for years.
What Permanent DST Would Mean for Your Morning
Under permanent daylight saving time, states in the Midwest would see big shifts in their winter daylight. In Ohio, for example, the sun would not rise until around 9 a.m. in winter, though sunsets would shift to roughly 6 p.m. That means millions of people — especially kids — would head to school in the dark for months at a time, Fox 5 San Diego reported.
Exemptions for states like Arizona and Hawaii, which already do not observe daylight saving time, would still apply under the bill. How exactly those opt-outs would work under a new permanent standard is still a question lawmakers have not fully answered.
A Rival Bill Wants Standard Time Instead
Not everyone agrees that permanent daylight saving time is the right fix. A competing proposal called the Sunshine for Our Kids Act of 2026 would make standard time — the darker, winter schedule — permanent nationwide. States could still choose to adopt daylight saving time if they wanted, giving them more flexibility, according to Kentucky.com.
Health experts have largely sided with permanent standard time, not permanent DST. They argue that standard time better matches the body's natural sleep rhythms and reduces health risks tied to sleep loss. The debate between the two approaches reflects a deeper split over what "fixing" the clocks actually means.
Public Tired of Clock Changes, but Polls Show Split on the Fix
Polls consistently show that most Americans want to stop changing clocks twice a year. But support is more divided when it comes to which permanent time they prefer. Some states have already passed laws to adopt permanent daylight saving time — but those laws cannot take effect until Congress acts first, Tri-City Herald reported.
The push from Trump and House leadership gives the Sunshine Protection Act more momentum than it has had in years. Still, getting both chambers to agree on the same version of the bill remains the biggest hurdle between Americans and a future with no more "spring forward" or "fall back."
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