On Tuesday, the US Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act that would make daylight saving time permanent.
The measure must be approved by the US House, without amendments, and then signed by President Joe Biden for the amendment to take effect. Based on the unanimous support that the bill received in the Senate on Tuesday, that seems plausible; it’s just a matter of when.
When it eventually becomes law, most in the US will set their clocks back to standard time in November 2022 and then to daylight saving time in March 2023. And then that’s the end of clock back and forth. We would be in DST forever.
Senate approves permanent daylight saving time
Experts testifying before the Senate cited the benefits to individuals, which in turn would help small businesses. They agreed several advantages:
Safety – Experts said ending DST would help reduce crime and accidents. The consensus? The darkness in the evening is worse than the darkness in the morning. Individual health – Changes over time adversely affect body rhythms, take their toll on the mind and body, and contribute to seasonal depression. International Business Striking – Customers from outside the US were often confused by the biennial time changes. Energy Savings – Daylight Saving Time launched in 1918, with Arizona and Hawaii opting out. In 2007, four weeks were added to summer time, with the aim of saving energy. According to studies, this has not happened. Better attitudes/prospects – People who work day shifts feel that they have more time after work to do things, ie spend money.
dr. Beth Marlow, an investigator for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, testified before the Senate. dr. Marlow said daylight saving time caused health problems, both at long distances and when the clocks were changed.
She said studies showed an increase in strokes, heart attacks and sleep deprivation symptoms (especially teens) during the changes.
This post Time to end DST with the Sunshine Protection Act
was original published at “https://smallbiztrends.com/2022/03/us-senate-approves-permanent-daylight-saving-time-sunshine-protection-act.html”
