The days of “springing ahead” and “falling back” may soon be over. On March 15th, 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act (“the Bill”), a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent and end the bi-annual time change. Daylight saving time, which is observed by all states except Arizona and Hawaii, typically begins on the second Sunday in March and is monumented by shifting the clocks an hour forward into daylight time. On the first Sunday in November, the time is shifted back an hour into standard time, ending daylight and saving time. Most notably, daylight time is signified by lighter evenings while standard time is signified by darker evenings. Thus, if the Sunshine Protection Act is adopted, evenings would remain lighter all year-round. In practical terms, on the shortest day of the year, which falls in the standard time schedule, the sun sets in Miami around 5:34 in the evening. However, under the new law, the sunset would occur around 6:34 in the evening instead. Likewise, the sunrise would also occur an hour later. Currently, the latest the sun rises in standard time is at 7:09 in the morning between January 11th and 15th. Under the new law, the sun would rise at 8:09 in the morning instead.

Proponents of the Bill cite the reduction of seasonal depression and crime, the enablement of young children to play outside longer, and the increase in business as a few reasons to make the permanent change. On the other hand, opponents argue that one of the biggest reasons for countering the Bill is the danger that the darker mornings would pose to children aged Kindergarten through twelfth grade.

Arguably, seeing the sun rise at 8:09 in the morning may not affect many adults who may already begin their commutes at the crack of dawn. However, in Miami-Dade County, public school children aged Kindergarten through eighth grade begin class at 8:35 in the morning. Middle and high schoolers begin as early as 7:10 in the morning. Moreover, while some children may be driven to school by a parent or guardian, other children would be forced to begin their walk to the bus stop or school before or at the crack of dawn in the winter months and could ultimately result in more crimes against children. In Broward County, some elementary-aged children begin class before eight o’clock in the morning, requiring children to commute to school in complete darkness. In other regions of the country, specifically areas that sit on the far western portion of their designated time zones, the Bill could prove to be much more detrimental. In Ontonagon, Michigan, which sets on the far western edge of the Eastern Time Zone, the latest sunrise of the year occurs in late December at 8:42 in the morning. With the new change, the sun would not rise until almost ten in the morning.

While the reasoning against the permanent time change is strong, it may be becoming obsolete quickly. Research has surfaced over the last decade that middle and high schoolers benefit from later class start times, citing their circadian rhythms are wired to stay up and wake up later than the average adult. If schools adjusted their start times to align with the rising times of adolescents, middle and high schoolers would be commuting to school after the sunrise, thus negating the danger a later sunrise would pose. There is not much research yet when it comes to whether elementary school children would benefit from a later school start time, but perhaps more information would persuade superintendents and other school officials to shift school hours to begin closer to nine thirty or ten o’clock in the morning and end later in the afternoon towards four in the afternoon. If school hours are calibrated on a federal level to align with the new research, the argument that later sunrises are dangerous for children would be eliminated.

In the United States, school times often start and end before the typical American workday does, placing an undue burden on households with both parents working. Some parents may argue that the later sunrise and ultimately a later school day would place an even larger burden on them, forcing their children to wake up, get dressed, and leave for school without any adult supervision or assurance that their child(ren) have even left for school. However, this argument may also be becoming antiquated. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, more Americans than ever are now working from home, and many companies plan to remain that way permanently, which would allow for parents to ensure their child(ren) have begun their school day.

Furthermore, while the Senate has unanimously passed the Bill, as of early April 2022, the House has been lagging. If the Bill passes in the House, it will be submitted to President Joe Biden who will either approve or veto the Bill. If vetoed, the Bill will need to be overridden by a two-thirds vote of each house of Congress to become legislation. If passed, the last time the clocks will ever change will be on Sunday March 12, 2023, when Daylight Saving Time begins. Only time will tell if it is truly time for a change.