What This Bill Does
This bill, called the "Sunshine Protection Act of 2023," aims to make daylight saving time permanent year-round. It removes the requirement that the country switch between daylight saving time and standard time.
Who It Affects
States and areas of states that currently observe daylight saving time are directly affected. States that have already exempted themselves from daylight saving time can continue their current practices.
Key Provisions
• The bill removes the temporary period for daylight saving time that was created in 1966 (Sec. 2(a))
• The bill changes time zone hour differences by reducing them by one hour throughout the section describing time zones (Sec. 2(b)(1))
• States that previously chose to exempt themselves from daylight saving time can either follow the new permanent daylight saving time rules or keep their previous time standard as it existed before this law (Sec. 2(b)(2))
What Changes
If this law passes, the country will stop changing clocks twice per year. States that had exemptions from daylight saving time get to decide whether to stay on permanent daylight saving time or keep their old time standard.
Important Definitions
None defined.
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 582
To make daylight saving time permanent, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 1, 2023
Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. PADILLA, Mr. TUBERVILLE, Mr.
MARKEY, Mr. HAGERTY, Ms. SMITH, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Mrs. HYDE-
SMITH, Mr. PAUL, Mr. WYDEN, and Mr. HEINRICH) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation
A BILL
To make daylight saving time permanent, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sunshine Protection
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Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. MAKING DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENT.
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(a) REPEAL OF TEMPORARY PERIOD FOR DAYLIGHT
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SAVING TIME.—Section 3 of the Uniform Time Act of
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1966 (15 U.S.C. 260a) is hereby repealed.
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•S 582 IS
(b) ADVANCEMENT OF STANDARD TIME.—
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The second sentence of sub-
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section (a) of section 1 of the Act of March 19,
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1918 (commonly known as the ‘‘Calder Act’’) (15
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U.S.C. 261), is amended—
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(A) by striking ‘‘4 hours’’ and inserting ‘‘3
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hours’’;
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(B) by striking ‘‘5 hours’’ and inserting ‘‘4
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hours’’;
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(C) by striking ‘‘6 hours’’ and inserting ‘‘5
10
hours’’;
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(D) by striking ‘‘7 hours’’ and inserting ‘‘6
12
hours’’;
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(E) by striking ‘‘8 hours’’ and inserting
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‘‘by 7 hours’’;
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(F) by striking ‘‘9 hours’’ and inserting ‘‘8
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hours’’;
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(G) by striking ‘‘10 hours;’’ and inserting
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‘‘9 hours;’’;
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(H) by striking ‘‘11 hours’’ and inserting
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‘‘10 hours’’; and
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(I) by striking ‘‘10 hours.’’ and inserting
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‘‘11 hours.’’.
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(2) STATE EXEMPTION.—Such section is fur-
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ther amended by—
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•S 582 IS
(A) redesignating subsection (b) as sub-
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section (c); and
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(B) inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
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lowing:
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‘‘(b) STANDARD TIME FOR CERTAIN STATES AND
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AREAS.—The standard time for a State that has exempted
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itself from the provisions of section 3(a) of the Uniform
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Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 260a(a)), as in effect on
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the day before the date of the enactment of the Sunshine
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Protection Act of 2023, pursuant to such section or an
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area of a State that has exempted such area from such
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provisions pursuant to such section shall be, as such State
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considers appropriate—
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‘‘(1) the standard time for such State or area,
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as the case may be, pursuant to subsection (a) of
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this section; or
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‘‘(2) the standard time for such State or area,
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as the case may be, pursuant to subsection (a) of
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this section as it was in effect on the day before the
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date of the enactment of the Sunshine Protection
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Act of 2023.’’.
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(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Such section
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is further amended, in the second sentence, by strik-
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ing ‘‘Except as provided in section 3(a) of the Uni-
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•S 582 IS
form Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 260a), the’’ and
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inserting ‘‘Except as provided in subsection (b),’’.
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Æ
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