WASHINGTON, D.C. – Is the time ticking on changing our clocks twice a year?
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to pass the Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139), sending it to the Senate for debate.
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This bill would make Daylight Saving Time the standard practice nationally. However, that would come with an option for states to individually opt out.
From the start, the bill had bipartisan support, securing a supermajority vote of 308-117.
The Senate will now deliberate whether to send this bill to President Trump’s desk for his signature. Trump has been vocal in his support for the bill, and has championed its passage.
So how would this impact Virginians?
Should the bill pass the Senate and be signed into law by Trump, the only major difference we would see would be from early November to early March, when we would no longer set the clocks an hour back.
In this case, Roanoke would see a sunrise of 8:28 a.m. on the first day of winter, and a sunset of 6:08 p.m.
Two states currently do not observe Daylight Saving Time: Arizona and Hawaii. In an effort to limit the dangerously hot conditions and air conditioning costs in the summer, Arizona doesn’t observe DST. Hawaii, being located at the equator, wouldn’t see much difference in sunshine.