Today, Congresswoman Celeste Maloy (UT-02) reintroduced the Daylight Act, legislation that would allow states to observe Daylight Saving Time year-round.
“Americans are tired of springing forward and losing sleep and falling back and losing sunlight. Dozens of states, including Utah, have already passed laws to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. The federal government needs to get out of the way and allow them to make that choice instead of mandating the needless practice of changing our clocks twice a year,” said Rep. Maloy.
Full text of the legislation can be found here.
Background:
In 2020, Utah passed a law that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. However, the law cannot go into effect until Congress changes the federal statute. 18 other states have passed similar laws.
A variety of studies show that extending Daylight Saving Time would improve everything from our health and wellbeing to the economy. Some of the benefits include:
- Less crime: a 2015 Brookings Institution study found a 27% drop in robberies because of additional daylight in the evenings.
- Lower energy bills: a 2008 study by the US Department of Energy found 0.5% savings in electricity per day when daylight saving was extended.
- Increased economic activity: a JP Morgan Chase study found a decrease in spending by consumers at the end of Daylight Saving Time.
- Reduced health risks: several studies have shown an increase in heart attacks, strokes, workplace injuries, and depression following the time change each spring. Hospitals report a 24% spike in heart-attack visits after we spring forward.
- Fewer car crashes: there are more fatal car crashes caused by sleepy drivers losing an hour of sleep in the spring. One study found that from 2002-2011, the time change caused over 30 deaths.