U.S. lawmakers are again trying to make falling back and springing ahead traditions of the past. This Thursday, senators attended a hearing titled “If I Could Turn Back Time: Should We Lock the Clock?”
They heard testimony from Scott Yates, founder of the Lock the Clock Movement; Jay Karen, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association; Dr. Karin Johnson, practicing physician and professor of Neurology at UMass Chan School of Medicine Baystate (on behalf of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine) and Dr. David Harkey, president of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Here’s how clocks in the U.S. have been impacted by the time-switching tradition as of 2007, based on rules approved by Congress. Daylight saving time (DST) is observed from March through November, which means that clocks move ahead one hour at 2 a.m. on a day in March and we “lose” an hour of sleep. Then, we “fall back” to standard time (ST) at 2 a.m. in November, when we “gain” an hour of sleep. With the move to standard time, there is an extra hour of daylight at a time when daylight time naturally gets shorter.
While the latest iteration of the tradition was established around 20 years ago, DST has been observed on and off in the U.S. since it was adopted in 1918 as an energy saving measure during World War I. It is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and most of the state of Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Indian Reservation.
Two different options for ending the practice of switching from standard time to daylight saving time were posited during the hearing. While Karen advocated for permanent daylight saving time to allow more sunlight for afternoon activities such as golf, Johnson stressed that permanent standard time would be a healthier option.
Last December, after he won the election, President Donald Trump – an avid golfer and developer of several golf courses – said in a Truth Social post that he planned to support efforts to eliminate DST while in office.
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t!” he said. Current Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously proposed a bill when he was a senator that would permanently abolish the spring forward/fall back requirement and it passed unanimously in the Senate. However, it failed in the House.
“It’s being reintroduced this year… it didn’t really go anywhere in the house last time so we’ll see if this becomes a different story,” said Fox News Radio’s Ryan Schmelz in an interview this week with Audacy.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, lead Thursday’s hearing regarding U.S. time keeping.
“Studies have shown that there is a spike in workplace injuries and fatal car crashes during the days after we shift our clocks forward,” said Cruz. “The disruption to sleep patterns and resultant fatigue can have consequences on our productivity, mental health, and well-being.”
For example, KNX Newsradio has reported on the negative impact DST can have on children. Dr. Kate Williamson, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) spoke to reporter Nataly Tavidian about the issue.
“I think every year, we forget how hard it can be,” said Williamson.
In addition to health issues linked to the DST switch every year, Cruz also noted that energy efficiency and advances in technology show zero cost-savings due to DST. At the same time, he noted that some businesses might benefit from longer daylight hours.
Harkey, of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Yates of the Lock the Clock movement both advocated for keeping clocks the same all year but did not advocate for DST or ST. However, Harkey noted that it would be even more confusing – and potentially dangerous – for the public if there was not national consistency regarding which method to use.
“I echo President Trump’s call to end Daylight Saving Time,” said Johnson. “Permanent Standard time aligns with his executive order establishing the Make America Healthy commission to protect the wellbeing of the nation and especially of our children. The Sunshine Protection Act for permanent Daylight Saving Time would do the opposite.”
She said that, even with standard time in place, states could determine how their social schedules would run in order to take advantage of sunlight. Johnson also said that Arizona manages to do well with its year-round observation of ST.
On the other hand, Karen said that 83% of NGCOA course owners and operators surveyed said they believe year-round DST would benefit the overall success of their businesses. Still, just 64% actually supported making DST permanent.
Cruz said at the end of the hearing that senators have until the end of the day next Thursday to submit questions and that the hearing witnesses have until May 1 to respond.