Today’s Entry: Hello Brian, Some time ago I heard in your program about a proposal from our Senator Marco Rubio about daylight saving time. I remember you said, if this is not approved, the proposal will have to start all over again. This coming Sunday we will go back one hour. What happened with the proposal? Is this the last time we have to do it? I remember you explained the reasons to stop changing time, but I don’t remember it in detail. Could you please refresh us?
Bottom Line: I wish I could say this weekend would be the last time we have to change the time. I certainly wish I could say more progress had been made in congress with the Sunshine Protection Act. The answer to your first question is that nothing’s changed as of yet, which means we’re stuck in this cycle of endless twice-a-year time changes. And that’s because after success in the Senate earlier this year, there’s been no progress in the House since. I most recently covered the developments (or the lack thereof as the case happened to be) a couple of months ago. Here’s a refresh as to where we are and how we got here...
After the Florida legislature passed Florida’s Sunshine Protection Act in 2017, Governor Rick Scott signed into law. It’s a law which would permanently leave Florida in Daylight Saving Time ending time changes in Florida. From that point forward the game has been on to have it recognized at the federal level – which is necessary for Florida’s law to take effect. Senator Rubio began the effort to have the federal government respect Florida’s wishes to permanently remain in DST. Every year starting in 2018, Senator Rubio pushed the Sunshine Protection Act in the United States Senate. Each year it went nowhere. Not even being brought to a vote. This year was different and in March, the United States Senate took up Rubio’s Act, which in recent years has also been co-sponsored by the then-governor who signed it into law Senator Rick Scott, and it passed unanimously. That meant after five years of legislative efforts, all that’s left to bring this legislation to President Biden’s desk, and to put an end to time changes in Florida once and for all, is another act of congress in the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, that’s proven to be a huge problem.
The headline in the July 25th story from The Hill said it all: Permanent daylight saving time hits brick wall in House. Yeah, so not just any wall. A brick one. That’s especially disappointing because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who needs to be on board to bring it to a vote, evidently is according to the article. The hang-up then is the same hang-up now. Quoting key House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman, New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone: “I can’t say it’s a priority”. So that’s the brick wall. And here’s the deal. If this doesn’t get done before January, the entire effort in Congress dies and must once again start from scratch in the new Congress. More frustrating still is that it’s not just about Floridians. Most Americans want it to.
Monmouth University polling on The Sunshine Protection Act shows 61% of Americans support it compared to only 35% who don’t. A YouGov poll similarly showed 59% support to only 19% who dissented. So, here’s a hugely popular piece of non-partisan legislation which would have a profound impact on our lives and it’s still not moving in the House. This is the epitome of where the expression...it takes an act of Congress comes from. Now specific to what the law would have achieved even if it had been signed prior to now, we would still be changing our clocks this weekend. The law as written would take effect in November of 2023. As for the reasons behind putting an end to time changes.
The current incarnation of DST was signed into law in 1974 as part of the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act. The premise was that it would save energy. However, in 2017, the most comprehensive study of energy savings related to time changes took place. The study utilized data from 44 individual studies and found the average energy savings was negligible at 0.3%. What’s more is that as we continue to become more energy efficient that number continues to drop and may be completely mute in real-time. Contrast that with the negative economic impact of the time change, which using JP Morgan data and calculating the impact based on Florida’s current economy, suggests we lose between $12 to $26 billion annually due to the change. In other words, if the argument is an energy/economic argument, it’s firmly against exiting Daylight Saving Time and will only continue to grow over time. Heck, there’s even a health component to it. In the first two days after entering Daylight Saving Time stroke and heart attack risks rise by 10% and the Monday following spring’s time change results in the most accidents on our roads.
So, here are two thoughts for you. This is a good reminder that we can all contact our elected House representatives and let them know that this legislation should be made a priority before the current Congress ends. If anything, constructive might come out of the “lame duck” congress following next week’s elections, this would and should be it. Unfortunately, there’s currently nothing on the calendar suggesting Democrats will take it up in committee. Now, perhaps more optimistically should the House fail to act in the lame duck, if Republicans do take control of the House, they would prioritize the agenda. If Rubio and Scott could gain a unanimous vote in the Senate, you’d have to like the chances of it passing in a GOP controlled House as well. Though even the Senate vote would have to happen again in the new Congress. While there’s nothing partisan about this issue, given that it’s Republicans which have been pushing it for years in congress, the chances of seeing it become a reality would likely be improved should Republicans gain control of congress next year.
But yeah, for now it’s the status quo. As I’ve said so many times over the years, there are always 24 hours in a day, it’s absurd that we don’t recognize it. It's time to relegate time changes to the dust bin of history and the sooner the better.
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