Sens. Lankford & Rubio: Daylight Saving Time should be permanent. Spring ahead and lock the clock, America
We put forward a simple bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent and year-round—the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This weekend, millions of Americans will go to sleep knowing that they will wake up tired because we will arbitrarily lose an hour of sleep by "springing forward."
After the dark year we’ve had, we could all really use that extra hour of rest, an extra hour of sunlight, and more consistency in our schedules.
Who else is annoyed by having to get all the clocks changed in your home and car because of a 100-year-old practice that is no longer necessary?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is an idea whose time has come.
WHAT IS DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME AND WHY DOES MOST OF ARIZONA NOT OBSERVE IT?
Ask any mom or dad of small children this weekend what they think of time change weekend. We can assure you, they hate it.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Contrary to popular belief, the agriculture community also generally doesn’t like vacillating between Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time. The biannual time change upsets their animals’ daily rhythm and their supply chain partners.
Communities across the country deal with legacy clocks that do not adjust.
So, where did this come from, and how can we make it stop?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Daylight Saving Time was a wartime effort to conserve fuel for candles and gas lamps during World War I, more than 100 years ago. It started in Germany but quickly spread across many parts of the world.
HOW DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME AFFECTS HEALTH
In the 1970s, Congress lengthened Daylight Saving Time in order to save energy during the oil embargo from the Middle East.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Even though we are now energy independent, are not in a world war, and do not have to read our smartphones by candlelight, we are still living under the relic of biannual clock changing.
Congress further extended Daylight Saving Time in 2005, providing eight months of the preferred time.
We have a bipartisan solution for this. Let’s lock the clock and let our kids and families enjoy more sunshine year-round.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}More from Opinion
Some Americans advocate switching to only Standard Time, which oddly enough is currently only four months of the year.
Others, ourselves included, prefer to have more sunshine in the evening hours, after work and school. That means more time away from screens for your kids, more time for a round of golf, and more time outside throwing the ball with your dog.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}We put forward a simple bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent and year-round—the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021. This bill has been introduced for the past two Congresses, and momentum continues to grow.
Sticking to Daylight Saving Time would reduce car accidents. Staying with one time will also help our circadian rhythm—your body’s natural sleep and wake cycle—which can reduce heart issues, strokes, and seasonal depression.
We’ve all felt that lingering tired and unease from switching the clock. Let’s eliminate this stressor for our families and #LocktheClock.
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Many of the bills we vote on in Congress are fixing a problem that a previous Congress created; count this as one more timely good idea.
Who is interested in more sunshine? Join us in supporting the Sunshine Protection Act and locking the clock.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican Marco Rubio represents Florida in the United States Senate.