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Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican

“I want to talk about a bill. The bill will make daylight savings time permanent. I want you to talk about the bill now.”

Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican 4:00 p.m.

“I want this bill to pass. It will make daylight saving time permanent. Changing clocks is outdated. It disrupts families and businesses. People want consistency. Permanent daylight saving time gives more daylight in the evening. That is good for kids and businesses. Tourism will benefit. People want this bill. It has bipartisan support. The President supports it. We need to end the clock change.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Sunshine Protection Act. This important legislation will finally end the outdated practice of changing our clocks twice a year and establish permanent daylight saving time. For decades, Mr. Speaker, Americans have been asking a simple question: Why are we forcing families, businesses, and communities to adjust their schedules every spring and fall? The twice-yearly clock change is a relic of the past that no longer reflects the way Americans live, work, and conduct business in the 21st century. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Buchanan), the lead sponsor and my good friend, for working so hard on this legislation for quite a few years. It is finally coming to fruition. I know it is very important that we pass this bill. In Florida, Mr. Speaker, this issue is especially important. Our State is home to families, retirees, small businesses, and industries that depend on predictable schedules and the ability to make the most of every single day. Floridians have made it clear that they are ready to ditch the switch. Mr. Speaker, I thank the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, for his strong support of this bill. Changing the clocks twice a year creates unnecessary disruption. I know you agree, Mr. Speaker. It affects sleep patterns, impacts family routines, creates confusion for businesses, and requires everyone--from parents and students to employers and employees and even our pets--to adjust their schedules for no meaningful benefit. After years of study and discussion, it is clear that Americans value consistency and certainty. Establishing permanent daylight saving time would provide families with more usable daylight hours in the evening, giving people additional opportunities to spend time outdoors, support local businesses, participate in community activities, and enjoy the quality of life that makes our communities so special. Mr. Speaker, I will add this: This is great for our kids. I want, and I know most parents want, kids to be outdoors now more than ever. The physical activity means so very much. For small businesses, particularly those in tourism, hospitality, and recreation, as I said, additional evening daylight can help drive economic activity and create more opportunities to serve customers. In a State like Florida, my home State of Florida, where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses, and visitors alike. This legislation is also about listening to the American people. Year after year, Mr. Speaker, polls show strong support for ending the outdated clock change. Families do not want another disruption to their routines. Businesses do not want unnecessary uncertainty. Americans want a commonsense solution. That is exactly what this bill provides, and I have spoken to thousands of constituents on this particular bill, Mr. Speaker, and they agree. They want permanent daylight saving time. I am proud that this effort has received bipartisan support because this is not about politics. It is about practicality. Again, the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Pallone, I know strongly supports this bill, and he will have time to say that. It is about recognizing, Mr. Speaker, that our laws should keep pace with the needs of the people who we represent. Today, we have an opportunity to take a meaningful step toward delivering something Americans have been asking for: consistency, convenience, and a better way to manage their time. The American people are long past ready to ditch the switch. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this critical piece of legislation and sending it over to the Senate, and I know the President will sign it. I know he is a strong backer, and I appreciate his support again. Finally, Congress needs to bring an end to the twice-yearly clock change. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Kat Cammack

Republican 4:00 p.m.

“I want this bill to pass so the government can claim it is helping families. Changing clocks is outdated. It disrupts sleep and health. This bill will make daylight saving time permanent. That will mean more sunlight in the evening. That is good for businesses and tourism. Tourism brings a lot of money to my state. An extra hour of daylight will help. It will boost tourism and prevent crime. Many states want to adopt permanent daylight saving time. This bill lets them do that. Some states have unique needs. They can keep permanent standard time. Let's end the twice-yearly time change.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in strong support for H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, introduced by my friend and fellow Floridian, Congressman Vern Buchanan. This is one of those issues that has been highlighted here today that brings us together as Americans, regardless of party, no matter where you are. Everyone always asks the same question every year because we are all equally annoyed: Why in the heck are we still changing our clocks? For decades, we have accepted this ritual of springing forward and falling back, even though it disrupts routines, throws off our sleep, and creates unnecessary frustration for families across the country. I will say, Mr. Speaker, it was always a nuisance, but as a new mom with an infant child getting the baby on a sleep schedule--and all the moms and dads of infants know what I am talking about. You get your schedule going, and then you have to spring forward or fall back, and then you start cussing the dang time changes. This is personal at this point. It is time we stop changing the clocks and we start using some common sense. Mr. Speaker, there are lots of Floridians here in the Chamber supporting this bill because, as Floridians--we are The Sunshine State--we value sunshine. It is critical that we do this because we all know very closely and firsthand that our communities thrive when our families have more daylight after work and after school. That extra hour means more Little League games, more evenings at local parks, more dinners at outdoor patios and restaurants, more customers walking through the doors of all of our mom-and-pop businesses, and more time for families to simply enjoy being together. Again, as a Floridian, it is hot in the middle of the day in the summer. It gets nice in Florida in the afternoons and evenings. It would be nice for us to enjoy a little bit more time. I know I am making this about Florida, but I am just being honest: #MakeAmericaFlorida. For a State like Florida that welcomes millions of visitors every single year, more daylight in the evening means more opportunities. This legislation does exactly what Americans have been asking Congress to do not just for years but decades: End outdated practices of changing our clocks twice a year by making daylight saving time permanent. It also respects the choices of States that have already opted out of daylight saving time under current law. Let's be honest. There are very few things that everyone agrees on these days, but whether you are a parent, like me, trying to get your kids to sleep or get your kids out the door for school, or you are a small business owner, a farmer, a first responder, or someone who just wants one less thing to worry about, changing the clocks twice a year is a hassle that most Americans are ready to leave behind. We all have heard the studies here in the debate today about the real benefits to ending these biannual clock changes. The research has suggested that eliminating the time changes improves public safety. As the wife of a first responder, I very much appreciate that. It reduces disruptions to sleep and could even provide energy savings. This bill doesn't create any new Federal bureaucracies. It doesn't grow the size of government, and it doesn't impose costly new regulations. Instead, it simplifies life. It will be one less thing for the American people to worry about. Sometimes the best thing in Congress that we can do is remove unnecessary burdens that no longer serve its purposes. That is exactly what we are doing here today. Mr. Speaker, this is a practical, bipartisan solution whose time, pun intended, has come. Let's stop asking Americans to reset their clocks every March and November. Let's provide some certainty and consistency and a little more sunshine at the end of the day. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act. I thank my friend and colleague, Congressman Vern Buchanan, for his efforts in advancing this and making this a real change that every American can get behind.

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Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican 4:10 p.m.

“I want to thank my friend for working on this bill for a long time. You and the former Senator tried hard to pass this bill. That's good.”

Vern Buchanan

Republican 4:10 p.m.

“I want to make daylight saving time permanent. People are tired of changing their clocks. It will help small businesses and give people more time for outside activities. It's a popular idea. The bill lets states opt out if they prefer standard time.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my bill, the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent and finally end the biannual clock switch. Twice a year, Americans are forced to change their clocks. These changes disrupt their schedule for no good reason. The outdated practice is frustrating for families, workers, schools, and small businesses across the country. Let me just tell you, as someone who has been in business for 30 years, this is gigantic, especially for the small business person. That additional hour a day, at least in Florida but across the country, makes a big difference in terms of doing business. Ideally, it helps not just small businesses, but small businesses create most of the jobs in Florida, as well. It is key to both. Polling shows that two-thirds of Americans want to unlock the clock. My bill is simply a solution to make daylight saving time permanent. Allowing an extra hour of sunlight in the evening gives families more time for outside sports, activities, and school. It stimulates small business and, as I said, job creation; retail tourism; and provides more time for youth sports and outside recreation. Let me just tell you: You see a lot of kids today. The number is 20 percent of children who are obese. They need to be out more. This will make a difference for them. There are also significant health benefits associated with DST that would prevent over 200,000 cases of stroke per year. It would make a big difference, as well, for nearly 2 million people in terms of obesity. Importantly, this bill allows States to opt out in favor of standard time if that is important to them. Nineteen States have passed the deadline for this. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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W. Gregory Steube

Republican 4:20 p.m.

“I want this bill to pass. I have wanted it for a long time. People in my state don't like changing clocks. It's annoying. It causes health problems. Kids are tired. People can't enjoy evening activities. Florida passed a state law to stop changing clocks. But we need Congress to change the federal law. The Senate passed it before but the House did not. Many states want to stop changing clocks. It's hard on families with young children. Kids should have more daylight after school. People in Florida want more time at the beach and park. Small businesses do better with more daylight in the evening. I want my colleagues to vote yes.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act. For me, this vote has been nearly a decade in the making. In 2018, at the Braden River Barber Shop shortly after we turned back the clocks to standard time, everyone was complaining about the change. Kids are not waking up on time. Everyone is tired. There is a rise in health-related issues. Nobody is able to enjoy activities in the evening. The list went on and on. The question was: Why are we still changing the clocks? As a State senator in Florida at the time, everyone looked at me and asked if we could do something about it, so we did. That one conversation led to me introducing a bill in the Florida State Senate also called the Sunshine Protection Act. I didn't know that my friend Mr. Soto had filed it before then, so I was happy to carry on the tradition. The idea was pretty simple. Florida is the Sunshine State. We should not be forced to change our clocks twice a year and lose an hour of usable daylight in the evening simply because of outdated Federal law. That legislation received overwhelming bipartisan support in Tallahassee. In 2018, the Florida Legislature passed the Sunshine Protection Act, and Governor Rick Scott signed it into law. There was a catch. Florida could not actually implement the law until Congress acted. The bill's success at the State level led to Congressman Vern Buchanan introducing the Federal version of the Sunshine Protection Act and introducing it year after year, never relenting in pushing for its passage. The Senate even passed the legislation unanimously in 2022, yet the House never gave it a vote. When I came to Congress in 2019, I continued to fight to make permanent daylight saving time a reality. Today, Mr. Speaker, after nearly a decade of many people working on this issue, we finally have this opportunity. Americans should never again have to participate in this outdated ritual of turning the clocks back and forth, as we can end the disruption that comes every spring and every fall when the Federal Government tells hundreds of millions of Americans to change their clocks. Mr. Speaker, 19 States have already acted to support year-round daylight saving time once Congress allows them to do so. Florida has been waiting since 2018. Why should we make the change? The consensus that day at the barbershop was clear for Americans. It is unhealthy and difficult on families with young children. Kids should have more daylight after school to play sports and be outside. Floridians should have more time to enjoy our beaches, our parks, and the outdoors. Small businesses, restaurants, and communities benefit when Americans have more usable daylight in the evening. Today, we have an opportunity to finally fix it. Mr. Speaker, I thank my fellow Floridian, Congressman Vern Buchanan, for his leadership on H.R. 139 and for his years of work on this issue. Mr. Speaker, it is time to lock the clock. It is time to make daylight saving time permanent. It is time for Congress to finally pass the Sunshine Protection Act. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

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Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican 4:20 p.m.

“This bill has bipartisan support. Many states want permanent daylight saving time. If you prefer standard time you can still have it.”

Pete Sessions

Republican 4:20 p.m.

“I want to support this bill. Many Americans want more daylight in the evening. This bill will make that happen. It is popular in Texas. I will vote yes.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Bilirakis and the Energy and Commerce Committee for bringing this bill forward. My dear friend, the gentleman from Florida, Vern Buchanan, years ago began this process, understanding that it was more than just an issue that Congress would deal with. It is also an issue that is called spring forward, fall back. You fall back as we get to October, and that means you lose the time, the light that you had all this time. Spring forward is always seen by the American people--and if you serve for Roger Williams and the Republican congressional baseball team--as an opportunity for you to be able to see for the first time in the light what the day is going to look like to catch a fly ball. The bottom line to this whole thing is spring forward, fall back is something that impacts every single American. It impacts people when they go to work. It impacts people as they try to find time to play with their children at night--just a little bit extra time. It helps people who have retinal or eye issues to be able to see more clearly for longer from the time they get up until the time they work their way home, perhaps after work. It is no wonder that spring forward, fall back is something that the American people are asking Congress to please standardize and give them more light and opportunity. Spring forward, fall back is an opportunity for the American people to have more time in the light of day to not only live their lives but to accomplish those things, rather than being in the dark. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you that what this does is it makes it standard across the country, and it does. I think that puts us all with the same opportunity, and that is what the American people want. I couldn't exactly say it because I didn't want to say it wrong, but ``spring forward, fall back'' is a commonsense opportunity that every single person knows and understands because as we now have enjoyed our spring forward, if we pass this, we do not have to change it to fall back, to fall back to darkness, to fall back to change. Lastly, it impacts my staff greatly and anyone on Capitol Hill because we are very acutely aware that when we get off work, like hundreds of millions of Americans, they go home in the dark. It means that people go into parking lots in the dark. It means that people go and perhaps walk home or drive in the dark at a time when it would be a safety factor. There are, of course, those who do not want this. That really does not bother me. For us to address this with fear rather than knowing that the American people want this is the issue about what drives me to be here. It is big in Texas because we spend a lot of time outside. I want to reiterate to the American people: We are listening. It is something we have taken up for a long time. Finally, Vern Buchanan and the Energy and Commerce Committee have brought this bill to us. I am very pleased to say I will be an ``aye'' vote. I hope that my colleagues will be the same.

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Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican 4:30 p.m.

“I want to cheer for a program that spends money in my district. I'm happy the government is spending on a new transit line in my city. The government should spend on many things.”

Brett Guthrie

Republican 4:30 p.m.

“I want to cheer for a program that spends money in my district. I'm happy the government is spending on a new transit line in my city. The government should spend on many things.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend from Florida yielding. It is fun today because I have my friend from Florida controlling time. I have another friend from Florida (Mr. Soto) speaking for the bill, and we have the sponsor from Florida. I will say also to the American people, Mr. Speaker, through you, that a very famous resident of Florida mentioned this to me in the Oval Office a few weeks ago, so I know there is strong support. It is actually called the Sunshine Protection Act, and the reason is people like the longer daylight hours. They like daylight even in the wintertime. I live on the very eastern end of central time. My district is split almost down the middle. I represent people who are on the very western end of eastern time, and I live on the very eastern end of central time. It does get dark at approximately 4:30 in the afternoon where I live. People want more time, and they want more daylight. The thing is that they just don't want to have to change their clocks. As my friend from New Jersey talked about, in 1974, we did vote to change. It was because of the energy crisis going on when I was a kid. They changed it in the middle of winter. It created all kinds of disturbance. What we have done with this bill is let people know ahead of time, you are not going to have to change your clock. We have General Assemblies that can lock in which time they want. We all know that Arizona and Hawaii stay on standard time. They will stay on standard time if their General Assembly so chooses. Any other State has the opportunity, whether they are in session or not. There is always a provision. I know in Kentucky they are not in session, but there is a provision that if Kentucky wants to stay on standard time, the Governor can call them into session and do so. I don't think they are going to do that. We have given States flexibility, but we have given our country consistency. I really appreciate the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Buchanan) for working hard on this bill. I believe it is the right time to do it, so I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, and I believe it will be good for the American people.

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Gus M. Bilirakis

Republican 4:30 p.m.

“Lots of states agree with me. I want this bill to pass. It will let kids play outside more. I want people to vote yes on this bill.”

Official Congressional Record

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. I just want to read off some of the 19 States that proactively passed laws to lock the clock: The great State of Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Idaho, Louisiana, South Carolina, Utah, Wyoming, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and of course, the great State of Florida, so it is not a Florida conspiracy. Mr. Speaker, we want to give people an opportunity to go out in the sunshine, an extra hour a day. I am thinking, first of all, safety for our seniors, but also for our children. Our children are on these devices constantly, unfortunately. They should be given an opportunity to go out, and they should be encouraged to go out and play ball or whatever they would like to do with their friends. Mr. Speaker, I urge a strong, very strong vote in favor of this bill. I will tell you that it is very, very important that we get this done as soon as possible. In closing, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 139, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Williams of Texas). All time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 1423, the previous question is ordered on the bill.

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What they said. What they meant.

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