Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and what he calls an “eclectic” group of Senate lawmakers have passed a bill that would put an end to all the back and forth clock-switching every spring and fall. This past weekend American clocks were pushed ahead, leading to a lost hour of sleep heading into Sunday.
Rubio cited numerous scientific reasons for making Daylight Saving Time permanent, pointing to the studies that have shown a rise in dangers – problems like heart attacks and car accidents – that increase each year after the clock-switch.
Studies have shown there are benefits to Daylight Saving Time, and Rubio contends that having an extra hour of sunlight leads to the following results:
- Reduces car crashes and car accidents involving pedestrians;
- Reduces risk for cardiac issues, stroke, and seasonal depression;
- Reduces the number of robberies by 27 percent;
- Benefits the economy;
- Reduces childhood obesity and increases physical fitness;
- Benefits the agricultural economy; and
- Reduces energy usage.
“Switching in and out of Daylight Saving Time is outdated, and it’s only a source of annoyance and confusion. Frankly, it’s just dumb, and there’s just no other way to say it,” Rubio said in a statement.
“As a country, we’ve dealt with this policy for far too long,” he said. “Twenty states and a huge majority of Americans want to stay in Daylight Saving Time all year round, and we now have bipartisan and bicameral support to do just that. So please, let’s just lock the clock once and for all and put all this stupidity behind us.”
WATCH: Senator Rubio speaks on the Senate floor following the unanimous passage of his Sunshine Protection Act to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. #LocktheClock pic.twitter.com/q3EF9Y8Uy6
— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) March 15, 2022
Rubio’s “Sunshine Protection Act” is co-sponsored by James Lankford (R-OK), Roy Blunt (R-MO), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rick Scott (R-FL), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Patrick Toomey (R-PA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
Rubio said there’s a lot of agreement on this issue, and he’s hoping the House will take it up quickly.
“Pardon the pun,” Rubio said, “but this is an idea whose time has come.”
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