Falling back and springing forward may soon be a thing of the past.
The Senate Tuesday voted unanimously to make Daylight Saving Time permanent for all 12 months of the year, a move that would end the premature afternoon winter darkness that many Americans dread.
In a rare moment of bipartisan unity, lawmakers gave unanimous consent to the measure, which would eliminate the bothersome twice-a-year ritual of turning the clocks back by an hour every fall and forward by an hour every spring.
“No more dark afternoons in the winter. No more losing an hour of sleep every spring,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said after the bill passed. “We want more sunshine during our most productive waking hours.”
The bill now goes on to the House, where lawmakers on both sides of the aisle urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to ensure it gets a fast track.
If the measure passes the House, it will be up to President Joe Biden to put his mark on history by becoming the man who gave the nation an hour of extra light in the afternoon.
The change would go into effect next year, meaning in November 2023 Americans would not move their clocks back an hour.
The move is especially popular in the Sun Belt and tourist destinations where longer days mean more people out spending money.
It’s also great for places like New York, which sits toward the far eastern edge of its time zone, because the sun already rises and sets much earlier there than areas on the western side of each time zone.
