Spring Forward, Fall Back: these bi-annual mantras may become extinct following some quick and, dare we say, dramatic action by the US Senate. This could mean our long national nightmare of fiddling with the clocks might mercifully come to an end. Without a peep, the Sunshine Protection Act passed the upper chamber. The legislation was introduced by Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and cosponsored by seven other members from both sides of the aisle. And here’s the kicker:
The vote was unanimous.
The Senate is meant to be a slow, deliberative legislative body; rarely does anything happen swiftly or with unanimity. Even more astonishing, perhaps the senators were listening to their constituents. More likely, they were tired of hearing all the complaints about tinkering with the time twice a year.
In advocating for the bill, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) archly quipped via Twitter: “We’re walking on sunshine,” and couldn’t resist adding the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun” to his Daylight Saving Time album. Other playful comments emerged from numerous senators. “We don’t have to keep doing this stupidity anymore,” asserted Sen. Rubio, who continued, “And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) took the mental health approach with, “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Americans want more sunshine and less depression …”
The History of Clock Fiddling
Messing with the clocks has been a long and intense political battle. The last time a bill to end Daylight Saving Time (DST) was passed, Woodrow Wilson vetoed it. However, in a rare move, Congress overrode the president’s veto – something which has only happened a little over a hundred times since the founding of the Republic. But the year that began the whole clock hullabaloo was ironically (for the millions that recently watched the mega- television hit series) 1883.
The DST issue harkens back to the need to establish time zones across the vast American landscape. “Time zones were introduced by the major railroad companies in 1883 to resolve confusion and avoid train crashes caused by different local times,” according to the Bureau of Transportation. But even a noble effort can cause myriad problems.
President Franklin Roosevelt established a wartime clock that pushed timepieces forward by one hour during the Second World War. But they reverted to Standard Time once the conflict ended. The game of clock ping-pong reared its head again when the Department of Transportation was created “and given regulatory power over time zones and DST.” In 1966, “the DST was implemented uniformly across the Nation, with dates for the twice-yearly transitions set by law. This still holds true today. With the exception of Arizona and Hawaii.”
(Photo by Dick Benjamin/Newsday RM via Getty Images)
Then in the 1970s – primarily brought about by the energy crisis – an effort to make DST permanent reared its head, but the people pushed back, and states were able to opt-in or out, based on statewide determination. In general, the folks who opposed DST emanated from two groups: people who worked the farms and parents who didn’t want their kids walking to school in the dark.
But times, they are a-changin’. There are fewer farmers, and according to statistics, only one in ten kids walk to school in the 21st century. In 2021, APNorc.org conducted a poll and found just 25% of those surveyed wanted to continue the business of playing with the time twice a year. Thirty-two percent wanted Daylight Saving Time all year, and another 43% said they’d rather be on Standard Time all the time.
And this may be the rub. Do Americans really want standard time, or are they just sick and tired of resetting their clocks bi-annually?
The Sunshine Protection Act still has two hurdles to jump before it becomes law: The House and president must give their consent. Of course, Mr. Biden could still pull a Woodrow Wilson, but that seems unlikely. Should everyone agree, Daylight Saving Time will become permanent beginning November 2023.
This would mean our long national clock-changing nightmare may officially fade into the sunset. Ending a century-old law would indeed be something roosters could crow about.
~ Read more from Leesa K. Donner.
