Time For A Clock Change? Congress Considers Daylight Saving Time … Again

July 23, 2026

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July 2026 by a wide bipartisan margin, which would establish permanent daylight saving time nationwide, and the bill now awaits Senate consideration. While most Americans support eliminating the twice-yearly clock changes, sleep researchers and medical organizations advocate for permanent standard time instead, citing evidence that daylight saving time causes significant health problems including increased heart attacks, sleep deprivation, and chronic circadian misalignment. The spring transition to daylight saving time proves particularly harmful because it delays morning light exposure, which is critical for regulating the body's natural rhythms, and extends evening light, which disrupts melatonin production and sleep patterns, especially in adolescents.

Who is affected

All Americans except residents of Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa
Adolescents and teenagers (particularly vulnerable to sleep deprivation)
People living on the western edge of time zones (experience more health problems)
Individuals with increased risk of heart attacks, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers
People with seasonal affective disorder
Beth Ann Malow (professor of neurology and pediatrics, director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's sleep division)
Sleep Research Society and American Medical Association (organizations advocating for permanent standard time)

What action is being taken

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act on July 14, 2026
The Senate is considering the Sunshine Protection Act
Several U.S. states have legislation and resolutions under consideration to support permanent standard time
Many states are considering permanent daylight saving time
President Donald Trump is publicly backing the Sunshine Protection Act measure

Why it matters

The twice-annual clock changes affect public health significantly, with the spring transition to daylight saving time causing immediate negative effects including increased heart attacks and sleep deprivation that persist for the eight months Americans remain on daylight saving time. The issue matters because standard time aligns with natural light patterns, providing essential morning light that sets the body's natural rhythms, wakes people up, improves alertness, and boosts mood, while daylight saving time causes circadian misalignment—a mismatch between biological rhythms and the outside world—leading to chronic sleep deprivation and associated health problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. The decision between permanent standard time and permanent daylight saving time has long-term implications for the health and wellbeing of the entire U.S. population, particularly vulnerable groups like adolescents who are already biologically predisposed to later sleep schedules.

What's next

The Senate will consider the Sunshine Protection Act
Legislators must decide whether to end the time shift altogether
Legislators must choose between permanent standard time or permanent daylight saving time
The bipartisan Sunshine for Our Kids Act (introduced in the House on July 9) awaits consideration as a countermeasure that would restore permanent standard time

Read full article from source: The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint