Legislation Moves to Establish Year-round Daylight Saving Time

WHO:

NBC News - The U.S. House of Representatives is involved in the legislation process.

Phys.org - President Trump has expressed support for making daylight saving time permanent.

WHAT:

ABC News - The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill that makes the shift to daylight saving time permanent.

ABC News - An AP-NORC poll last year found that only 12% of American adults were in favor of the semi-annual time change, while almost half opposed it.

ABC News - In 1973, Congress passed a law instituting permanent daylight saving time for a trial period from January 1974 to April 1975, which lasted until October when it was repealed after public outcry.

NBC News - The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to make daylight saving time permanent.

Phys.org - The U.S. House of Representatives voted on the legislation to make daylight saving time permanent.

WHERE:

NBC News - The legislation is being considered in the United States.

WHEN:

NBC News - The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.

WHY:

ABC News - Concerns about schoolchildren having to get to class in darkness contributed to the repeal of permanent daylight saving time in 1975.

Phys.org - The issue of daylight saving time has been described as contentious and intractable in U.S. politics.

HOW:

ABC News - Kevin Birth, a professor of anthropology, stated that if the U.S. decides to try permanent daylight saving time again, the time zones across the country would need to be adapted as the current four zones are inadequate.

NBC News - The process involves the House passing the bill before it moves to the Senate for further consideration.

(UPDATED July 16, 2026 05:49 UTC)

The House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent. An AP-NORC poll from last year revealed that only 12% of American adults supported the semi-annual time change, while nearly half were opposed, a sentiment that echoes back to 1975 when Congress repealed a trial of permanent daylight saving time due to concerns about schoolchildren traveling to class in the dark. Kevin Birth, a professor of anthropology, noted that if the U.S. moves forward with permanent daylight saving time, the current four time zones would need to be adjusted, as they are not sufficient for this change.

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(UPDATED July 16, 2026 04:01 UTC)

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which aims to make daylight saving time permanent, and this legislation now heads to the Senate for consideration. President Trump has expressed his support for this initiative, highlighting the contentious nature of the daylight saving time debate in U.S. politics. The process involves the House voting on the bill before it moves forward to the Senate for further deliberation.