HR 139: Sunshine Protection Act of 2025

HR 139 in plain English: This bill is early in the legislative process and detailed text is not yet available. Sponsor: Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] (R) · Status: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Stated purpose

This bill would make daylight saving time the permanent, year-round standard time across the United States, ending the twice-yearly clock changes. States or areas that are currently exempt from daylight saving time may choose which time standard to keep.

Arguments supporters make

• Eliminating the twice-yearly clock change removes disruptions to sleep, health, and daily routines that many people find harmful.
• Keeping more daylight in the evening hours gives people more usable daylight after work and school, which can benefit commerce and outdoor activities.
• A single, permanent time standard reduces confusion for scheduling, travel, and businesses that operate across time zones.

Arguments opponents make

• Permanent daylight saving time means darker mornings, especially in winter, which raises safety concerns for children going to school and workers commuting before sunrise.
• Some health and sleep experts argue that permanent standard time — not daylight saving time — better matches the body's natural clock tied to sunrise, making this the wrong permanent choice.
• A federal mandate overrides local preferences, and communities in different regions experience sunrise and sunset very differently, so one national solution may not fit all areas well.

Tradeoffs

Gaining brighter evenings year-round means accepting darker mornings in winter months, particularly for people in western parts of each time zone. The bill also trades local flexibility for national uniformity, with limited exceptions only for areas already exempt from daylight saving time.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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