“So we're doing this back-and-forth clock changing for about 16 weeks of Standard Time a year. Today, Daylight Saving Time, which started out as six months, was extended to eight months in 2005, clearly showing you where people's preference. “This really began back in 1918 as a practice that was supposed to save energy, and since then we've adjusted it. And one has to ask themselves after a while, ‘Why do we keep doing it? Why are we doing this?’ “Just this past weekend, we all went through that biannual ritual of changing the clock back and forth, and the disruption that comes with it. And that's to pass a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Rubio: “Others will be coming to the floor here, in a moment, and you'll see it's an eclectic collection of members of the United States Senate in favor of what we’ve just done here in the Senate. Video of Rubio’s remarks is available here and a full transcript is below. A one-pager of the bill is available here. ![]() Many studies have shown that making DST permanent could benefit the economy and the country. States and territories that currently remain on Standard Time year-around would continue to do so. If passed by the House and signed into law by President Joe Biden, the S unshine Protection Act would apply to those states that currently participate in DST, which most states observe for eight months out of the year. ![]() Nineteen other states - Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming - have passed similar laws, resolutions, or voter initiatives, and dozens more are looking to do so. However, for Florida’s change to apply, a change in the federal statute is required. In 2018, Florida legislature’s enacted year-round DST. The bill would make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent across the country starting in 2023. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke on the Senate floor following the Senate’s passage of the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 (S. This article was produced in collaboration with Europe Street news.Washington, D.C. In 2023, the switch to summer time happens at 3am on Sunday, March 26th, when the clocks move forward by one hour. It seems therefore likely that Europeans will keep changing the time for a while. “The Council has not yet formed its position on the Commission’s proposal,” he said in an email. However, a spokesperson for the EU Council recently told The Local there is nothing new on the agenda. Over the summer, reports in Italian media suggested the discussion could resume in the EU too. In March 2022, the US Senate passed a bill to make daylight saving time permanent from next year. The debate on seasonal time changes was somewhat revived due to the energy crisis. In other words, there is not just one factor to consider and results achieved in some countries do not necessarily apply to others. ![]() Generally, it seems that southern countries benefit the most, although gains are potentially diminished by technological advances, such as energy efficient devices. One study estimates energy savings at between 0.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent, also depending on the geography, climate, economic and cultural factors of the country. ![]() Several assessments have found that the benefits are ‘marginal’. Earlier in the 1990s countries were changing time on different dates, with complications for transport, communications and cross-border trade.īut today does the system really ensure energy savings? Since 2001, an EU directive obliges EU member states to move the clock forward by one hour on the last Sunday of March and backward on the last Sunday of October. Italy introduced daylight saving time in 1966, Greece in 1971, the UK and Ireland in 1972, Spain in 1974 and France in 1976. The arrangements were abandoned after the wars but were revived in the 1970s to deal with the oil crisis. Time changes, adopted by some 70 countries, have a long history.ĭaylight saving time (DST) was introduced in several countries, including Germany, France and the UK, during World War I to save energy by delaying switching the lights on in the evening. Then Covid-19 hit and the pandemic overshadowed the discussion. Countries then called on the European Commission to produce an “impact assessment” of the proposal before being able to decide. The last time the matter was discussed at the EU Council was in December 2019.
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