Will daylight saving time be permanent? Senate passes bill sponsored by Whitehouse

PROVIDENCE — The U.S. Senate on Tuesday afternoon unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would permanently establish daylight saving time across the country.

“The Sunshine Protection Act just passed the US Senate with unanimous consent,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a sponsor of the bill, tweeted after the vote. “This is a big, sensible step forward. Long live Daylight Saving Time!”

The bill was co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida.

Whitehouse spoke for 2½ minutes on the Senate floor before the vote, saying that turning the clocks back an hour in the fall after daylight saving time ends for the year negatively affects many people.

“It does darken our lives in a very literal sense,” Whitehouse said. “By the time you get from November, when we fall back, to the shortest day of the year in December, the 21st I think it is, we have sunset in Rhode Island at 4:14. Four-fifteen. That means everybody is driving home if they work regular 9-to-5 hours. They’re driving home in the pitch dark and there’s no real need for it. Let’s make it 5:15 instead.”

That would benefit not only commuters, but children, who would gain an extra hour of daylight playtime after school, the senator asserted.

'Brighten the coldest months': Whitehouse-sponsored bill would make DST permanent

Daylight saving time began Sunday at 2 a.m.

According to a release from Whitehouse on Saturday, “in the past four years, eighteen states have enacted legislation or passed resolutions to mandate year-round Daylight Saving Time, but Congress must act before states can adopt the change.”

We made it!: Later sunsets within sight with Daylight Saving Time on Sunday

In the release, the senator said that permanent daylight saving time would bring significant economic and health benefits.

“Studies have shown that economic activity is reduced during Standard Time, and permanent Daylight Saving Time would lead to greater energy savings,” the release stated. “Spending more standard work hours in sunlight would reduce rates of seasonal depression.

“Americans exercise more frequently during Daylight Saving Time, reducing the risk of stroke and heart problems. Research also suggests that the extra hour of afternoon sun leads to fewer car accidents and evening robberies.”

Late Tuesday afternoon, after the vote, Whitehouse said: "Resetting the clocks may soon be a thing of the past. This is a bipartisan bill that has received a very strong response from constituents. I’m hopeful we can get the House of Representatives on board with an extra hour of afternoon sun in the winter and send this bill to the President’s desk.”

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Sunshine Protection Act passed by Senate to daylight saving time stay