Overview
- The U.S. House approved the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, in a 308–117 vote that took place on July 14.
- A bipartisan bloc of senators from northern and Midwestern states has signaled resistance and Sen. Tom Cotton has said he will block quick passage, leaving the bill little floor time in an already crowded Senate calendar.
- Orthodox Jewish organizations warn the change would push winter sunrises later and conflict with required morning prayers, forcing some congregations and schools to shift schedules and prompting coordinated lobbying against the bill.
- Medical groups and sleep experts say permanent daylight saving time would worsen circadian misalignment, raise risks for seasonal mood and cardiovascular problems and increase safety concerns for children and commuters in dark winter mornings.
- Practical hurdles include that only states which preemptively passed laws to keep standard time — like Arizona and Hawaii — could avoid the shift, and Congress’s 1970s experiment with year‑round DST, repealed after public backlash, is frequently cited as a cautionary example.