Washington – The Senate unanimously approved a bill on Tuesday that would do so make daylight saving time permanent from November 2023, a major leap forward in the push to ensure an extra hour of sunlight at the end of the day throughout the year.

The bill, known as the Sun Protection Act, got 17 co-sponsors from both sides in the upper house and was passed by unanimous consent. Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, has long advocated for a permanent clock change and led the push to pass the bill.

“The good news is that if we can pass it, we won’t have to keep doing this stupid thing,” Rubio told the Senate. “Hopefully this is the year this will be done and, pardon the pun, but this is an idea that the time has come.”

Rubio pointed to research showing that an extra hour of sunlight later in the day leads to a reduction in crime levels, a decrease in seasonal depression and more time for children to play outside.

“What ends up happening is that, especially during these 16 weeks of the year, if you don’t have a park or outdoor facility with lights, you’re basically closed around 5pm, in some cases at 4pm. 4:30 p.m., “he said. “These park lights and things like that are expensive and many communities are resisting them.”

Daylight Saving Time currently begins on the second weekend in March and ends on the first weekend in November. The federal government last extended that period four weeks in 2007. Rubio said his bill was delaying the change until 2023 to accommodate airlines and other industries that set their schedules well in advance.

The bill passed by the Senate has yet to be approved by the House and signed by the President to become law. An identical version of the bill has been tabled in the House and was referred to a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee last month. Experts who he testified before the subcommittee in a hearing last week urged lawmakers to make the change.

“In short, darkness kills. And darkness in the evening is far more deadly than darkness in the morning,” said University of Washington professor Steve Calandrillo. “Rush hour is twice as deadly as morning for a variety of reasons: there are a lot more people on the road, more alcohol in the bloodstream of drivers, people rushing home and more children they enjoy the game outdoors and without supervision. “

Scott MacFarlane contributed to the report.

In:
• United States Senate