Sunshine Protection Act passed in the Senate in March, but House has yet to hold a vote as Sunday’s “fall back” deadline looms 

Washington (November 3, 2022) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement today in anticipation of the end of daylight saving time (DST) for the year as the nation “falls back” on Sunday morning. Senator Markey is an original sponsor of the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act, alongside Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), which unanimously passed the Senate in March. The legislation would make DST permanent, for more year-round sunshine. Studies show that making DST permanent would have positive impacts on public health, the economy, and would could help cut energy consumption.

“A cloud of darkness is set to descend on Americans this weekend,” said Senator Markey. “On Sunday morning at 2:00 AM Eastern Time, we’ll ‘fall back’ and lose the extra hour of evening sunshine that daylight saving time provides. Studies have shown that year-round daylight saving time would improve our economy, alter our energy consumption, and enhance our physical and mental health. As the sun sets on our sunshine and we enter a long, dark winter, Congress has a chance to do something almost unheard of in the wake of a midterm election: pass bipartisan legislation. Now that the Senate has voted unanimously to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, I’m sending rays of support to the House to get this done so Americans don’t have to suffer in darkness.”

As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, then-Representative Markey and Representative Fred Upton (R-Mich.) amended the Uniform Time Act of 1966, extending the duration of DST in the spring by changing its start date from the first Sunday in April to the second Sunday in March, and in the fall by changing its end date from the last Sunday in October to the first Sunday in November. In 1985, then-Representative Markey also partnered with Representative Carlos Moorhead (R-Calif.) to extend DST by three weeks.

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