U.S. House approves bill to make daylight saving time permanent

TORRINGTON (WNE) -– The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent, eliminating the practice of changing clocks twice each year. 

The measure now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act on Tuesday by a 308-117 vote. If the bill becomes law, Americans would no longer set their clocks forward in the spring or back in the fall. Instead, daylight saving time would remain in effect year-round.

According to a press release from the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, supporters of the legislation say ending the twice-yearly time changes would provide consistency for families and businesses while reducing the disruptions associated with changing clocks.

The legislation has also sparked discussion among Wyoming residents.

In several local community Facebook groups, some residents have questioned how permanent daylight saving time could affect winter mornings, particularly for students waiting for school buses or walking to school before sunrise.

If the legislation takes effect, winter mornings would become noticeably darker. Around the winter solstice in late December, the sun currently rises at approximately 7:22 a.m. Under permanent daylight saving time, sunrise would occur about one hour later — at roughly 8:22 a.m. — while sunset would also shift about an hour later into the evening.

The bill must still be approved by the Senate and signed by the president before any changes take effect.