Ditch the Switch: House Passes Bill to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

WASHINGTON — There will be no turning back the clock if the House of Representatives has its way. In a decisive 308-117 vote, the House passed a bill on Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent across the United States.

Proponents of the legislation, known as the “Sunshine Protection Act,” argue that the change will provide more daylight during the hours when Americans are most active. The White House heavily weighed in before the vote, calling the bill a popular, common-sense reform and confirming that advisers would recommend the president sign it if it reaches his desk.

Daylight saving time is the period between spring and fall when clocks in most parts of the country are pushed one hour ahead of standard time. Under the new bill, this shift would become the year-round reality. However, individual states would still have the opportunity to opt out if their respective legislatures choose to do so before the bill is officially enacted.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., voiced the frustrations of many weary clock-changers, stating that Americans are ready to “ditch the switch.” Bilirakis noted that changing the clocks twice a year creates unnecessary disruption, adding that permanent daylight saving time would give families extra daylight in the evening to spend outdoors and support local businesses.

Public opinion appears to lean in favor of the change. A 2025 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research revealed that, when forced to choose, most Americans prefer to keep that extra hour of evening light. Specifically, 56% of adults expressed a preference for making daylight saving time permanent—accepting less light in the morning in exchange for more in the evening. Meanwhile, about 4 in 10 respondents favored permanent standard time.

Despite its popularity, the bill faces strong pushback from detractors. Critics warn that a permanent shift would result in dangerously dark winter mornings, forcing children to wait for school buses and parents to commute to work in pitch-black conditions.

Members of Congress have debated the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. While the Senate successfully passed a similar permanent daylight saving bill four years ago, it ultimately stalled in the House. Now, the roles are reversed; the bill must clear the Senate before it can head to the president’s desk, though it remains unclear if the upper chamber will take it up.

What Permanent Daylight Saving Time Means for Kansas Winters

If the Sunshine Protection Act becomes law and Kansas chooses to adopt permanent daylight saving time, residents will experience significantly delayed winter sunrises. During the standard winter solstice in late December and early January, standard times for sunrise and sunset would be shifted forward by exactly one hour.

Here is how the latest winter sunrises and corresponding sunsets would look in three key Kansas cities under permanent daylight saving time:

(Note: Colby, located in western Kansas near the edge of the Central Time Zone, would experience sunrise after 9:00 A.M. during the darkest days of winter.)