Rubio Introduces Bills To Keep Daylight Saving Time Year Round
Nationally and/or in Florida
Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) has introduced two bills: one will keep daylight saving time year round nationally, and the other will keep it just in the state of Florida.
Sen. Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that he’s filed legislation to allow not just Florida but the entire nation to save daylight all year round.
The Florida Republican says he’s sponsoring the “Sunshine Protection Act” as well as the “Sunshine State Act” because they’ll help the nation’s economy.
Rubio took this initiative a week after Florida’s Legislature voted to make their state the nation’s first to adopt year-round daylight saving time statewide — a change that can’t take effect unless Congress changes federal law.
The first bill would make daylight saving time permanent across the country. Currently, it runs from March to November, forcing most Americans to set their clocks ahead one hour in the spring and then turn them back an hour in the fall.
The second bill would let Florida remain in daylight saving time on its own, even if the rest of the nation returns to standard time.
“Reflecting the will of the Sunshine State, I proudly introduce these bills that would approve Florida’s will and, if made nationally, would also ensure Florida is not out of sync with the rest of the nation,” Rubio said in a statement.
Rubio said keeping clocks the same year round would eliminate an economic decline that sets in every November, and predicted that later sunsets could lead to fewer robberies and car crashes.
The Florida PTA has asked Gov. Rick Scott to veto the legislature’s bill, saying the change would force thousands more children to travel to school in the dark for a longer period each year.
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“Florida’s Legislature voted to make their state the nation’s first to adopt year-round daylight saving time statewide”
How does Arizona fit in? The state does not do DST. Only portions of the Navajo reservation do and they are a nation unto themselves
Arizona stays on Standard Time year round. Apparently there is a provision in current Federal law (yes there is a Federal law regarding time) that allows states to opt out of Daylight Time, but they can’t retain year round Daylight Time.
The funny thing is that the creation of Standard Time and time zones was intended to eliminate the plethora of local time zones across the country. It looks like we’re going to go back to exactly that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_time
I live in Arizona. My fellow Arizona residents continue to wonder what is taking people in other states so long to wise up.
https://twitter.com/NoDSTforAZ
Yea! Go Marco.
…and keepl going.
DST is stupid and should be eliminated, not made permanent. The whole theory was that by shifting daylight hours from the early morning, when it’s wasted on most people who are still asleep, to the evening, when most people are awake and active, they would save on candles. Well, I guess we save something today by running the electric lights an hour less, but that is outweighed many times over by running the air conditioners an hour more. So what has been achieved? We’re wasting resources, not saving them.
And we start it so early now, and end it so late, that it’s winter and the morning commute is in the dark, which is dangerous. How many children must die? (Isn’t that the catch-all slogan these days?)
“Well, I guess we save something today by running the electric lights an hour less, but that is outweighed many times over by running the air conditioners an hour more”
Generally air conditioners are run by thermostats not timers, so air conditioning runs exactly the same number of hours a day regardless of standard vs daylight savings time.
Let’s just go on GMT and be done with it.
And 24-hour time. 12-hour time is great for reading the numbers on mechanical clocks. But since people aren’t even taught how to read those nowadays, 12-hour time is about as useful as buggy-whip technique, horseshoe maintenance, or zeppelin aeronautics.
Oh cool, then we can express the time as ZULU. That is much cooler than 23:15 Hotel.
“Sunshine Protection Act” — Seriously?
I for one am all about DST. It gets dark so early in the winter, roughly 1700. And I like it being light until 2100 in the summer. Also 24-hour time is a must. With the vast majority of people using digital clocks (their phones) just make the switch. AM and PM are for the birds.
I’ve done a bit of traveling. I notice the use of 12-hour clocks, but businesses post their hours in 24-hour time. I found I liked it and keep my car clock and my phone clock on 24-hour format.
For those of us in the high latitudes, in the Summer sunset and sunrise occur while you are (trying to) sleep, and in the Winter they both occur during normal business hours. All the Spring/Fall shift does is make one weekend longer and one shorter.
finally, Little Marco does something intelligent.
Why not DST year round nationally? Those that have a problem like schools could adjust school starting times. Parents and child care agencies would know it is coming and could adjust for it. Many people start work at 8 or 9, get up late and would enjoy commuting in at least one direction in daylight.