Q&A – Daylight Saving Time & The Status of The Sunshine Protection Act
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Today’s Entry: @brianmuddradio Here we go again. Is there any update on the status of the Sunshine Protection Act?
Bottom Line: There is...but I have a feeling you’re not going to like it. In what feels like a twice a year case of deja vu, I’d love to be able to tell you that this weekend’s time change will be our last. But as of today, there’s still no indication that’s going to be the case. It’s now been six years since the Florida legislature passed Florida’s Sunshine Protection Act which then-Governor Rick Scott signed into law. It’s the law which would permanently leave Florida in Daylight Saving Time, ending time changes in Florida, however there’s been one major obstacle standing in the way of the law taking effect. Congress. Florida’s law can’t take effect until and unless the Federal government authorizes the change. The old saying about “an act of congress”, most certainly and literally applies to this matter. Before updating you as to where the process stands today... Here’s a refresher on what this is about for those who may not be familiar with the Sunshine Protection Act and its history.
The first observed time change took place on April 30th, 1916, by Germany and Austria. The cited reason was to conserve energy during World War I. Two years later the United States took it up as well. The first time change observed in the United States took place on March 31st, 1918, also as an effort to conserve energy during the war. After the first World War it was repealed in the United States and didn’t show up again until the second World War. FDR brought it back in 1942 calling it “War Time”. It remained in place through the end of the war but was repealed once again following the war in 1945.
The current incarnation of our twice-a-year time change schedule was signed into law in 1974 as part of the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act. Clearly the premise was that it would save energy. But as you know, most aspects of our economy and society have changed considerably over the past fifty years. In 2017, the most comprehensive study of the economic impact of time changes took place. The study utilized data from 44 individual studies and found the average energy savings was...drum roll...0.3%. What’s more is that as we continue to become more energy efficient that number has continued to drop. For example, in 2017 gas-powered vehicles averaged 24.9 miles per gallon. Today, just seven years later, the average fuel efficiency is 28, a greater than 12% improvement. In other words, there may not be any energy savings achieved currently. Contrast that with the negative economic impact of the time change.
In 2017, as part of the consideration for Florida’s Sunshine Protection Act, JP Morgan estimated the economic impact of time changes in Florida. What they identified was that there was a minimum negative economic impact of $12 billion annually – and that the number could have been as high as $26 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that range is now $15 to $33 billion annually and that’s only in Florida. So we have time changes predicated on saving energy, that don’t actually save energy, and that cost our economy tens of billions of dollars per year – just in Florida...and that’s aside from negative health impacts. But back to the status of the legislation...
Following the passage of Florida’s Sunshine Protection Act, Senator Marco Rubio picked up the torch to attempt to have it recognized by the federal government. Each congress, starting in 2018, Senator Rubio sponsored the Sunshine Protection Act in the United States Senate. During the first two congresses, it went nowhere, not even being brought to a vote. Rubio had better luck on the third attempt in 2022. That year the Senate took up Rubio’s Act, which in recent years has also been co-sponsored by the then-governor who signed it into law, Senator Rick Scott. It passed unanimously through a consent voice vote. That meant after five years of legislative efforts, all that was left to bring this legislation to President Biden’s desk, and to put an end to time changes once and for all, was for the House of Representatives to go along with it. Unfortunately, that never happened. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi never brought the legislation to the floor for a vote stating that it wasn’t a priority.
Each congress legislation that isn’t passed by the previous congress is tossed out and the process must begin all over again. That’s where we are today. Last year at the onset of the current congress Senators Rubio and Scott once again introduced the Sunshine Protection Act. Sixteen other senators co-sponsored the bill with them. All told there are 18 senators who’ve signed onto the bill, 11 Republicans and 7 Democrats, representing 15 different states and yet Chuck Schumer hasn’t allowed the bill to come up for a vote in the current session. Yesterday, when I asked Senator Scott about its prospects in the current congress he said it seemed unlikely to be brought to a vote. Ultimately, he said a Republican majority in both congressional chambers is likely needed to be able to pass the legislation. This is unfortunate given that it’s not a partisan issue and has significant bipartisan support.
Numerous survey’s gaging public support of the proposal have all shown that nationally, not just in Florida, there’s broad support for ending time changes. Monmouth University polling on The Sunshine Protection Act showed 61% of Americans support it. A YouGov poll similarly showed 62% support. So, here’s a popular piece of non-partisan legislation which would have a profound impact on our lives and it’s still not moving. This is the epitome of where the expression...it takes an act of congress comes from. This bill is the equivalent of Florida’s ground hog day. Maybe next year?