US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

> The authors take the position that, based on comparisons of large populations living in DST or ST or on western versus eastern edges of time zones, the advantages of permanent ST outweigh switching to DST annually or permanently. Four peer reviewers provided expert critiques of the initial submission, and the SRBR Executive Board approved the revised manuscript as a Position Paper to help educate the public in their evaluation of current legislative actions to end DST. […] The choice of DST is political and therefore can be changed. If we want to improve human health, we should not fight against our body clock, and therefore, we should abandon DST and return to Standard Time (which is when the sun clock time most closely matches the social clock time) throughout the year. This solution would fix both the acute and the chronic problems of DST. We therefore strongly support removing DST changes or removing permanent DST and having governing organizations choose permanent Standard Time for the health and safety of their citizens.

* https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/07487304198541...

Recent US public opinion:

> As the March 9 [2025] switch to daylight saving time (DST) approaches in the U.S., the majority of Americans (54%) say they are ready to do away with the practice. By contrast, 40% of U.S. adults say they are in favor of daylight saving time, while 6% are uncertain.

[…]

> The plurality of Americans, 48%, say they would prefer to have standard time the whole year, including summer. Half as many, 24%, prefer having daylight saving time in place the whole year, including winter. The smallest percentage, 19%, prefer the status quo of switching between the two each year.

* https://news.gallup.com/poll/657584/half-daylight-saving-tim...

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#3

Post by damnesian » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:12 PM UTC

Studies have been conducted about the safety of sticking to one time. The ones who are the most vulnerable are kids waiting for buses in the dark. We can't move to dynamic school times because we are still working the same paradigm as the industrial revolution- same schedule every day, year in year out. And society is simply too divided and fractured, and the motives too hidden and craven, to decide to move en masse to a dynamic schedule.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#4

Post by BeetleB » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:50 PM UTC

damnesian wrote: post #3

Studies have been conducted about the safety of sticking to one time. The ones who are the most vulnerable are kids waiting for buses in the dark. We can't move to dynamic school times because we are still working the same paradigm as the industrial revolution- same schedule every day, year in year out. And society is simply too divided and fractured, and the motives too hidden and craven, to decide to move en masse…

Studies also show that permanent standard time is better than permanent daylight time. But for some reason, the US wants to go against the rest of the world on this.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#5

Post by BeetleB » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:50 PM UTC

> and put the US under time currently observed between March and November - known as permanent standard time.

Was that a typo?

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#6

Post by bs7280 » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:50 PM UTC

damnesian wrote: post #3

Studies have been conducted about the safety of sticking to one time. The ones who are the most vulnerable are kids waiting for buses in the dark. We can't move to dynamic school times because we are still working the same paradigm as the industrial revolution- same schedule every day, year in year out. And society is simply too divided and fractured, and the motives too hidden and craven, to decide to move en masse…

School start times should be pushed back an hour anyways. Students learn better, especially middle school + highschool age. The only reason we don't is because it conflicts with parents working schedules.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#7

Post by JMKH42 » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:51 PM UTC

throw0101d wrote: post #2

Perhaps worth noting that most medical and sleep/circadian research folks want permanent standard time: * https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/ama-cal... * https://www.labmanager.com/new-position-statement-supports-p... * http://www.chronobiology.ch/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/JBR-D... * https://www.chronobiology.com/impact-daylight-saving-time-ci... * https://esrs.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/To_the_…

In the medium term wouldn't it likely not matter? Schedules will adjust to whatever permanent time system is adopted.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#8

Post by gwbas1c » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:51 PM UTC

Am I the only person who thinks its odd that my government (US) thinks its can tell me what time to get up and go to bed?

Before timezones, "noon" was the point where the sun was the highest in the sky.

It seems we should focus on having our timezones be more in line with what "noon" is supposed to be: IE, major population centers should have "noon" close to true noon, with a little more flexibility for rural areas so they can stay on the same time as their closest major population center.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#9

Post by Sindisil » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:51 PM UTC

As usual, when Congress finally moves to address an issue, they manage to do it in the stupidest possible way. Permanent Standard Time is the better choice in nearly every way.

Re: US House of Representatives takes step to make daylight saving time permanent

#10

Post by bsimpson » Wed, Jul 15, 2026, 2:53 PM UTC

Glad to see progress made on this.

In my 20s, I strongly considered taking some time off to create and drive petitions across the Pacific states to put us all on permanent PDT (matching Arizona). In my research, I saw it would take an act of Congress to make that happen, so I stood down.