Daylight Saving Time: always guaranteed to generate discussion in the USA. Even the CRS is now weighing in! Here's a report by Corrie E. Clark and Lynn J. Cunningham (30 September 2020) aptly titled: 'Daylight Saving Time (DST).
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Download CRS_Report_DST_30September2020
Introduction
Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a period of the year between spring and fall when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. The beginning and ending dates are set in statute. Congressional interest in the potential benefits and costs of DST has resulted in changes to DST observance since it was first adopted in the United States in 1918.
The United States established standard time zones and DST through the Calder Act, also known as the Standard Time Act of 1918. The issue of consistency in time observance was further clarified by the Uniform Time Act of 1966. These laws as amended allow a state to exempt itself—or parts of the state that lie within a different time zone—from DST observance. These laws as amended also authorize the Department of Transportation (DOT) to regulate standard time zone boundaries and DST. The time period for DST was changed most recently in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005; P.L. 109-58).
Congress has required several agencies to study the effects of changes in DST observance. In 1974, DOT reported that the potential benefits to energy conservation, traffic safety, and reductions in violent crime were minimal. In 2008, the Department of Energy assessed the effects to national energy consumption of extending DST as changed in EPACT 2005 and found a reduction in total primary energy consumption of 0.02%. Other studies have examined potential health effects associated with the spring and fall transition to DST and found a cumulative effect of sleep loss and increased risk for incidence of acute myocardial infarction (heart attacks) in specific subgroups.
Only Congress can change the length of the DST observance period; however, since 2015, at least 45 states have proposed legislation to change their observance of DST. These efforts include proposals to exempt a state from DST observance, which is allowable under existing law, and proposals that would effectively establish permanent DST, which would require Congress to amend the Uniform Time Act of 1966. Most of the proposals have not passed. Eleven states have enacted permanent DST legislation: Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Tennessee, Washington, and Wyoming. In addition, Arkansas and Georgia have adopted resolutions in support of permanent DST.
Congress may consider whether to make additional changes to DST observance or standard time. Several bills have been introduced in the 116th Congress that would make changes to standard time to effectively implement year-round DST. On March 12, 2018, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to DOT requesting updated information related to DST and standard time. On June 20, 2018, DOT informed the committee that it had initiated a literature review of the issue and would share the results with the committee, but as of September 2020 these results have not been submitted.
Cutting to the chase...
Potential Issues for Congress
Congress may again consider whether to make changes to DST observance or standard time. In the 115th Congress, four bills were introduced that would have made changes to standard time. The four bills introduced were two sets of related House and Senate bills: the Sunshine State Act (S. 2536 and H.R. 5278) and the Sunshine Protection Act of 2018 (S. 2537 and H.R. 5279).
In the 116th Congress, several bills have been introduced that would allow states to observe DST year-round: a set of House and Senate companion bills, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2019 (S. 670 and H.R. 1556); three stand-alone bills, H.R. 1601 (Daylight Act), H.R. 2389, and S. 4582. The Sunshine Protection Act of 2019 would make DST permanent for most states and areas in the United States by advancing standard time one hour (with exemptions for states and areas that do not observe DST on the day before enactment). H.R. 1601 and H.R. 2389 would provide additional flexibility in DST observance by adding an option for year-long DST observance. S. 4582 would temporarily extend the DST observance period that began on March 8, 2020, through November 7, 2021.
Information on the benefits and costs of changing the length of DST observance may be of congressional interest. On March 12, 2018, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce sent a letter to the DOT requesting updated information related to DST and standard time “to more fully appreciate the various policy factors associated with changing between Standard and [DST].”69 DOT responded to the committee with a letter on June 20, 2018, stating the Department has “initiated a literature review of this issue” and it “will share the results” once completed. As of September 2020, the committee has not received the results of the literature review.
Enjoy!
“Never underestimate the collective stupidity of very smart people in small groups.” – Unknown
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