US lawmakers vote to end clock changes

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed, with bipartisan support, a bill to make daylight saving time permanent.

The measure, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, was approved by 308 votes to 117, with support from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. The bill will now return to the Senate, and if approved there, the United States would end the practice of changing clocks twice a year, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

On Monday, the House Rules Committee rejected an alternative proposal, the Sunshine for Our Kids Act, which would have kept permanent standard time, commonly referred to as winter time.

Supporters of permanent daylight saving time argue that changing the clocks disrupts sleep, increases workplace and traffic accidents, and that longer daylight hours in the evening improve productivity during the winter months.

Opponents, including Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, argue that permanent daylight saving time would result in very late winter sunrises, forcing many children to travel to school in the dark.

The United States previously adopted permanent daylight saving time during World War II and again in 1974 as an energy-saving measure. However, the policy proved unpopular and was repealed by Congress later that same year.

President Donald Trump has strongly supported ending the twice-yearly clock changes.

Photo: Wikipedia