[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 15, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1165-S1167]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT OF 2021

  Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, let me cut right to the chase here before 
I get into a statement.
  As if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from 
further consideration of S. 623, a bill to make daylight saving time 
permanent, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 623) to make daylight saving time permanent, and 
     for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the committee was discharged and the Senate 
proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Rubio 
substitute at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as 
amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the 
motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The amendment (No. 5000) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to 
as follows:

                (Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)

        Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Sunshine Protection Act of 
     2021''.

     SEC. 2. MAKING DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENT.

       (a) Repeal of Temporary Period for Daylight Saving Time.--
     Section 3 of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 260a) is 
     hereby repealed.
       (b) Advancement of Standard Time.--
       (1) In general.--The second sentence of subsection (a) of 
     section 1 of the Act of March 19, 1918 (commonly known as the 
     ``Calder Act'') (15 U.S.C. 261), is amended--
       (A) by striking ``4 hours'' and inserting ``3 hours'';
       (B) by striking ``5 hours'' and inserting ``4 hours'';
       (C) by striking ``6 hours'' and inserting ``5 hours'';
       (D) by striking ``7 hours'' and inserting ``6 hours'';
       (E) by striking ``8 hours'' and inserting ``by 7 hours'';
       (F) by striking ``9 hours'' and inserting ``8 hours'';
       (G) by striking ``10 hours;'' and inserting ``9 hours;'';
       (H) by striking ``11 hours'' and inserting ``10 hours''; 
     and
       (I) by striking ``10 hours.'' and inserting ``11 hours.''.
       (2) State exemption.--Such section is further amended by--
       (A) redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
       (B) inserting after subsection (a) the following:
       ``(b) Standard Time for Certain States and Areas.--The 
     standard time for a State that has exempted itself from the 
     provisions of section 3(a) of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 
     (15 U.S.C. 260a(a)), as in effect on the day before November 
     5, 2023, pursuant to such section or an area of a State that 
     has exempted such area from such provisions pursuant to such 
     section shall be, as such State considers appropriate--
       ``(1) the standard time for such State or area, as the case 
     may be, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section; or
       ``(2) the standard time for such State or area, as the case 
     may be, pursuant to subsection (a) of this section as it was 
     in effect on the day before November 5, 2023.''.
       (3) Conforming amendment.--Such section is further amended, 
     in the second sentence, by striking ``Except as provided in 
     section 3(a) of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 
     260a(a)), the'' and inserting ``Except as provided in 
     subsection (b),''.
       (c) Effective Date.--This Act and the amendments made by 
     this Act take effect on November 5, 2023.
  The bill (S. 623) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, 
was read the third time, and passed.
  Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, as the day goes on, I look forward to 
others who will be coming to the floor here in a moment. You will see 
it is an eclectic collection of Members of the U.S. Senate in favor of 
what we have just done here in the Senate, and that is to pass a bill 
to make daylight saving time permanent.
  Just this past weekend, we all went through that biannual ritual of 
changing the clock back and forth and the disruption that comes with 
it. And one has to ask themselves after a while: Why do we keep doing 
it? Why are we doing this?
  This really began back in 1918 as a practice that was supposed to 
save energy, and since then we have adjusted it.
  Today, daylight saving time, which started out as 6 months, was 
extended to 8 months in 2005, clearly showing you what people's 
preference was. So we are doing this back-and-forth of clock-changing 
for about 16 weeks of standard time a year.
  Now, I think the majority of the American people's preference is just 
to stop the back-and-forth changing. But beyond that, I think their 
preference is, certainly, at least based on today's vote and what we 
have heard, is to make daylight saving time permanent.
  I will just tell you a couple of the reasons why I think that is 
important. There is some strong science behind it that is now showing 
and making people aware of the harm that clock-switching has. We see an 
increase in heart attacks and car accidents and pedestrian accidents in 
the week that follow the changes.
  The benefits of daylight saving time have also been accounted for in 
the research; for example, reduced crime, as there is light later in 
the day. We have seen decreases in child obesity, a decrease in 
seasonal depression that many feel during standard time, and then the 
practical one and the one that I have witnessed with my own eyes.

[[Page S1166]]

  In many parts of this country--understand, we are a country where we 
desperately want our kids to be outside, to be playing, to be doing 
sports, not just to be sitting in front of a TV or a computer terminal 
or playing video games all day. And it gets really tough in many parts 
of the country to be able to do that because what ends up happening is, 
especially for these 16 weeks a year, if you don't have a park or an 
outdoor facility with lights, you are basically shut down around 5 
p.m., in some places as early as 4, 4:30 p.m. And these lights in parks 
and things like that are expensive, and then a lot of communities are 
resistant to them, right?
  I have seen it with my own eyes. I have watched sporting events be 
called--youth sporting events--in the middle or near the end of the 
game before it has actually concluded because there is not enough 
light.
  So I just think that is one of the practical reasons why, if you look 
at the way we live in this country, you want to have the ability to 
spend more time in the evenings outdoors, not just to enjoy the 
outdoors but to make sporting and outdoor activities available for 
people at a time when, frankly, we are losing an hour, an hour and a 
half in some parts of the country because of daylight.
  So I am hoping that after today, this will go over to the House, and 
they will act quickly on it.
  I know this is not the most important issue confronting America, but 
it is one of those issues where there is a lot of agreement, and I 
think a lot of people wonder why it took so long to get here.
  So my hope is that after we are done here today, that the House will 
take it up; that the House will pass it; and that the President will 
sign it.
  I just want to lay out one caveat. This bill and the amendment does 
delay its implementation, and the reason why--and I asked. Believe me, 
I asked: Why are we delaying this? And I think it is important. We are 
delaying it until November of 2023 because airlines, the rails, 
transportation methods, others have already built out schedules based 
on the existing timeline of this. And so they have asked for a few 
additional months here--from industries like broadcasters and 
airlines--to make that adjustment.
  But the good news is that if we can get this passed, we don't have to 
keep doing this stupidity anymore. And why we would enshrine this in 
our laws and keep it for so long is beyond me, but hopefully this is 
the year that this gets done.
  And pardon the pun, but this is an idea whose time has come.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. MARKEY. Madam President, I want to join with the Senator from the 
Sunshine State, letting him know that the Senator from the Bay State, 
the Senator from the Ocean State, we share a common agenda. We bridge 
ideological divisions--liberal Democrats from the Northeast, 
conservative Republicans from Florida coming together to show that this 
institution can work.
  And why is that?
  Well, it is because we know that daylight saving time helps to turn 
the corners of people's mouths upward into a smile. It is sunshine and 
smiles.
  We have only had daylight saving time so far for 2 days, but all 
across the country, people are out in the evening with the extra 
daylight. Little League can start. People taking their evening walks 
feel more safe. People can just walk down to the town square, knowing 
that the daylight is out there.
  And so this is something that should be bipartisan. It should bring 
us all together, and I thank the Senator from Florida for his 
leadership on this issue.
  And so many people are wondering, can the Congress work? And I think 
here is something that does have a big impact on every American life, 
and getting that extra hour of daylight of sunshine into people's lives 
is absolutely essential.
  So we have been working, you know, together to, once and for all, 
deal with this issue of springing forward and falling back, and that is 
to make daylight saving time permanent.
  This past Sunday, Americans had to once again change their clocks, 
all because of the outdated government policy on daylight saving time. 
This biannual ritual of toggling between daylight saving time and 
standard time isn't just an inconvenience to people everywhere, it has 
real repercussions on our economy and our daily lives.
  Studies have found that year-round daylight saving time would improve 
public health, public safety, energy policy, mental health--an 
especially important commitment after this cold and dark COVID winter.
  Seasonal affective disorder is real, and when they get that extra 
hour of Sun in the evening, it helps tens of millions of people all 
across the country to finally put the winter into a rearview mirror. 
But let's be honest. Spring really starts when we spring forward to 
daylight saving time.
  So daylight saving time brings sunshine, smiles, and savings to every 
person in the country. And more evening sunshine also leads to fewer 
traffic fatalities, increased economic activity, and more recreation 
time. From afterwork shopping to Little League games and family bike 
rides, an extra hour of evening sunshine puts a spring in our step and 
offers a great reason to get outside and enjoy the outdoors.
  The case for permanent daylight saving time is clear. So let's go 
from polar to solar. Let's finally make that change in our country 
because cutting back on the Sun during the fall and winter is a drain 
on the American people. We must pass the Sunshine Protection Act and 
make daylight saving time permanent once and for all.
  This is an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to come together 
and do something that really helps the American people feel better 
about themselves every single day of the year.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Madam President, I am happy to bring the voice of the 
Ocean State to the floor today as an original cosponsor of Senator 
Rubio's bill to make daylight saving time permanent. I hope very much 
that we can actually agree to this on the floor today and hope for 
similar action in the House.
  Pretty much everybody in Rhode Island experiences the same thing on 
that unhappy day in early November. It is usually the 6th or the 7th, 
when suddenly an hour of your day, an hour of your daylight, disappears 
and dusk comes an hour earlier.
  And it is a sad time. People are unhappy. It does darken our lives in 
a very literal sense. And 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 4:15--4:15. That means 
everybody is driving home, if they work regular 9-to-5 hours--they are 
driving home in the pitch dark, and there is no real need for it. So 
let's make it 5:15 instead.
  Now, granted, there are people who are up between 6:30 and 7:30 in 
the morning who will lose their hour of daylight, but there are a lot 
fewer people up and about between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning than 
there are between 4:15 and 5:15 in the afternoon.
  And particularly in that afternoon hour, that is when kids have come 
home from school, and you would like to have them run around outside a 
little bit more. That is when people are doing errands, and it would be 
nice if there were some daylight for that.
  So I am eager to be rid of ``fall back,'' and this would give us a 
chance for Americans all across the country to be rid of ``fall back'' 
and make daylight saving time permanent and to add a little sunlight 
into most people's lives.
  With that, I will recognize the distinguished chairman of our Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Washington.
  Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, today, the Senate has finally delivered 
on something Americans all over the country want: to never have to 
change their clocks again.
  My colleague Senator Rubio and I have finally passed the Sunshine 
Protection Act, a bipartisan bill to finally make daylight saving time 
permanent.
  This past weekend, Americans from Washington State to Florida had to 
lose an hour of sleep for absolutely no reason. This is a burden and a 
headache we don't need. Any parent who has worked so hard to get a 
newborn or a toddler on a regular sleeping schedule

[[Page S1167]]

understands the absolute chaos changing our clocks creates and for no 
good reason. There is enough going on as it is, and we can fix this one 
inconvenience and stress pretty easily.
  And if the House follows the lead of the U.S. Senate, we can make it 
so no one anywhere has to change their clocks by making daylight saving 
time permanent.
  I hope my colleagues in the House and everyone can understand that no 
one wants to see the Sun set at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, which it 
currently does in the winter for those of us on the west coast.
  In just this Congress, we have passed major bipartisan bills to 
strengthen supply chains and promote American manufacturing and make a 
generational investment in our infrastructure. Let's keep up that 
bipartisanship and make daylight saving time permanent.
  Voters throughout the Pacific time zone have made clear they are 
ready for permanent daylight saving time. In California, Oregon, Idaho, 
and my home State of Washington, we have all passed laws to adopt 
permanent daylight saving time as soon as Congress acts. So many other 
States are on the same page. These States need us to take action at the 
Federal level.
  This is a simple, commonsense measure that we can all take back to 
our constituents that does away with the completely unnecessary 
inconvenience in everyone's lives. No more dark afternoons in the 
winter. No more losing an hour of sleep every spring. We want more 
sunshine during our most productive waking hours.

  I have said it before, and I will say it again: Americans want more 
sunshine and less depression. People in this country all the way from 
Seattle to Miami want the Sunshine Protection Act.
  We got it passed here in the Senate. Now the clock is ticking to get 
the job done so we don't have to switch our clocks again.
  So I urge my colleagues in the House to act swiftly, as we have done, 
to get this bill on President Biden's desk and deliver sunshine to 
Americans across the country.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Let me make it clear to anybody who is watching that 
they just saw this measure pass. We have just passed the bill to end 
the return to daylight saving time--to make daylight saving time 
permanent.
  I yield the floor.
  With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
order for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, first of all, I would like to say 
thanks to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for getting out here 
today and starting down the road to making daylight saving time 
permanent.
  I cannot overstate how grateful I am that this bill passed this 
Chamber just a few minutes ago by unanimous consent. It is especially 
timely given that we all had to change our clocks this past weekend, 
and we are now experiencing longer, sunnier days, but it would be 
better news if longer, sunnier days were a new norm and not a cause for 
a temporary, seasonal celebration, which is why I hope my colleagues in 
the House of Representatives pass this bill quickly.
  The practice of springing forward impacts folks across the Nation and 
has far-reaching benefits beyond the obvious but enjoyable hour of 
daylight that brings happy, happy times to everybody.
  Alabamians have made this clear. Since I joined Senator Rubio in the 
effort to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, the phones in my office 
have been absolutely ringing off the hook in support of permanently 
adopting daylight saving time--from moms and dads who want more 
daylight time before putting their kids to bed so dinnertime doesn't 
feel like bedtime and from elderly people who want more Sun in the 
evenings in order to take a walk or enjoy working in their yards. For 
farmers, who could use the extra daylight to work in the fields, it is 
a better business model and adds to the bottom line.
  But it is not just people in the State of Alabama; Americans across 
the country want to make daylight saving time permanent. In fact, it is 
worth noting that this bill has bipartisan support, evidenced by the 
fact that it passed with no objection here in the Senate mere moments 
ago. It is no secret how rare that is here in this Chamber.
  Locking the clock, or doing away with the twice-a-year time change, 
is a simple measure that would have far-reaching results. For example, 
from a health perspective, cases of SAD, or seasonal affective 
disorder, are much more common in the winter months than in the summer 
months. From an economic perspective, the time change costs the U.S. 
economy an estimated $430 million annually when accounting for lost 
productivity. It is simply common sense to update this outdated 
practice.
  Daylight saving time began as a temporary measure during World War I 
to conserve energy, but in the last century, our world has changed 
dramatically. What might have made sense during 1918 does not make 
sense today. That is why Alabama, along with 17 other State 
legislatures, has passed legislation or resolutions to flip the switch 
on this outdated practice and permanently increase our daylight hours, 
but these changes at the State level cannot take place until a Federal 
law is passed. We have taken the first step today in the Senate by 
passing this bill. Now it is on the House's side.
  Again, my thanks to Senator Rubio and my colleagues on both sides of 
the aisle. I hope the House acts quickly so we can get this to the 
President's desk and get the results that the American people want, and 
that is more sunshine.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BARRASSO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________