What This Bill Does
This bill makes daylight savings time permanent across the United States. It repeals the current law that sets a temporary period for daylight savings time and changes how standard time is measured.
Who It Affects
States and certain areas within states that have exempted themselves from current daylight savings time rules.
Key Provisions
• The law that created a temporary period for daylight savings time is repealed (Sec. 2(a)).
• The bill adjusts time measurements by reducing hour amounts by one hour across multiple time zones (Sec. 2(b)(1)).
• States and areas that previously exempted themselves from daylight savings time can choose to keep their current standard time or adopt the new standard time created by this bill (Sec. 2(b)(2)).
What Changes
If this becomes law, daylight savings time would no longer be temporary. The specific hour measurements used to determine standard time for different regions of the country would decrease by one hour each. States and areas with existing exemptions would have the option to maintain their previous time system or switch to the new one.
Important Definitions
None defined in the bill text.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1279
To make daylight savings time permanent, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 1, 2023
Mr. BUCHANAN (for himself, Mr. POSEY, Mr. MILLS, Mr. MAST, Mrs. LUNA,
Mr. RUTHERFORD, Ms. SALAZAR, Mr. WALTZ, Mr. MOONEY, Mr. COMER,
Mr. STRONG, Ms. MACE, Mr. CARL, and Mr. BURCHETT) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce
A BILL
To make daylight savings time permanent, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
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 SAVINGS TIME PERMANENT.
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(a) REPEAL OF TEMPORARY PERIOD FOR DAYLIGHT
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SAVINGS 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1966 (15 U.S.C. 260a) is hereby repealed.
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(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
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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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•HR 1279 IH
(A) redesignating subsection (b) as sub-
1
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 of sub-
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section (a), by striking ‘‘Except as provided in sec-
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tion 3(a) of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15
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•HR 1279 IH
U.S.C. 260a),’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in
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subsection (b),’’.
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Æ
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