Congress revisits daylight-saving debate as new bill seeks permanent clock change

Since the first federal daylight-saving law in 1918, Congress has repeatedly altered the nation’s clock policy, from the World War II “War Time” year-round schedule to the 1974 energy-crisis experiment that was cut short after public complaints. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 standardized the seasonal shift but left states unable to adopt permanent daylight time without congressional action. Florida passed a contingent law in 2018 and Senator Marco Rubio introduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which cleared the Senate in 2022 but stalled in the House.

After Rubio left the Senate in 2025, Senator Rick Scott took over the Senate effort, while Representative Vern Buchanan continues to sponsor the House version. The bill again seeks to lock the clock on daylight saving time nationwide, a move that would shift winter sunrise and sunset an hour later. Without passage in both chambers before the 119th Congress ends in 2027, the proposal will expire and require re-introduction.