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Again Cosponsors ‘Sunshine Protection Act’ to Benefit Agriculture and Farmers, Public Safety
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) today announced that she has once again championed the push to make Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent across the United States.
Hyde-Smith on Tuesday joined U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) as an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 (S.29), a renewed legislative effort to end the annual clock-changing ritual of “springing forward” and “falling back.” DST begins this year at 2:00 a.m., Sunday, March 9, 2025.
“Changing the clocks twice a year creates unnecessary difficulties for many people in Mississippi, especially farmers who rely on daylight to manage their crops, livestock, and daily tasks, and permanent Daylight Saving Time would give them more consistency throughout the year. It would also help boost the economy, improve public safety, and offer important mental health benefits,” Senator Hyde-Smith said. “I’m proud to support the Sunshine Protection Act again and work toward ending the hassle of changing the clocks for good.”
“I hear from Americans constantly that they are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year – it’s an unnecessary, decades-old practice that’s more of an annoyance to families than benefit to them. In 2018, as Governor of Florida, I signed legislation that would allow the state to opt out of the practice of changing the time and I’ve been a leading effort in getting this done on the federal level,” Senator Scott said. “I’m excited to have President Trump back in the White House and fully on board to LOCK THE CLOCK so we can get this good bill passed and make this common-sense change that will simplify and benefit the lives of American families.”
Scott became the lead sponsor of the Sunshine Protection Act after U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was tapped by President-elect Trump to be the next Secretary of State. Hyde-Smith had worked with Rubio for the past several congresses to advance this legislation.
Notably, President-elect Trump recently called for an end to Daylight Saving Time, which he called inconvenient and costly. S.29 seeks to repeal the current eight-month DST period established by the Uniform Time Act of 1966. It would not alter time zones, change sunlight hours, or require states that currently do not observe DST to adopt the practice.
In March 2022, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 by unanimous consent, but the bill was never brought to a vote in the House of Representatives under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi despite widespread backing from both lawmakers and the public.
Additional original cosponsors of S.29 include U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Ron Wyden (R-Ore.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Edward Markey (D-Mass.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).
DST was first enacted in the United States during World War I following Germany’s 1916 effort to conserve fuel. Since then, the U.S. has extended the observance, originally six months, to eight months. The second Sunday in March marks the beginning of DST, and it continues until the first Sunday in November, leaving just four months of Standard Time. The United States has also experimented with year-round DST in the past, notably from 1942-1945 and 1974-1975.
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