Most Americans recently set their clocks forward by an hour for daylight saving time, making our evenings brighter and mornings darker.
But the biannual change to our clocks may end now that the Senate has passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which was originally introduced by Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida back in 2018.
Last year, he reintroduced the bill, which is co-sponsored by lawmakers from both major political parties.
The bill would keep daylight saving time year-round and take effect next year. It now moves to the House of Representatives for approval before it can be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
In a press release about the act, lawmakers cited health, economic and public safety benefits for the change, such as the potential for an increase in consumer spending and a reduction in car crashes.
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Not only are early start times for schools a public health issue, but the economics of switching to a later start time make sense. Changing up start times is one of the least expensive options schools have to increase student performance, according to Brian Jacob, an economics and public policy professor at the University of Michigan who co-authored a study on this topic.
“This is not like hiring extra teachers to reduce class size, or building a big new expensive building,” he told Marketplace back in 2014.
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