The House of Representatives has voted on a bill that could leave states to decide what time it is.
The U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 Tuesday in a 308 to 117 vote. The bill has the support of President Donald Trump and would call for year-round daylight saving time. Daylight saving time kicks in during the spring, when people “spring forward” and move the clocks ahead an hour. It ends in the fall with “fall back.” Right now, Hawaii and Arizona are the only states that don’t participate in daylight saving time.
The bill, which has had versions pass in the Senate, would make that summer time permanent. Trump and others have long called for the end of the clock-changing process.
That vote is different than the Sunshine for Our Kids Act of 2026, which is also in the House. That bill also calls for the end of clock changing, but to make standard time the permanent measure. That would make the winter-era clocks the common ones across the U.S. However, that bill would allow states the option to implement permanent daylight saving time if they choose.
Bill sponsor Democratic Representative Mary Gay Scanlon said in a press release that switching between standard time and daylight saving time can pose risks to public health and safety, increase motor vehicle accidents, mood disorders and even cardiovascular events whenever the switch occurs.
“For decades, scientists and medical professionals have highlighted the detrimental mental and physical health impacts of twice-a-year clock changes, particularly on children and teens,” Scanlon said in a press release. “The Sunshine for Our Kids Act will not only help children and teens during the most important years for mental and physical development, but will also promote public health and safety in our communities.”
Scanlon also says that switching to standard time permanently would align with the body’s natural circadian rhythms.
A circadian rhythm is the pattern that a person’s body follows on a 24-hour clock and manages a person’s wake-sleep cycle, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Factors including light, food intake, stress and physical activity can all affect the circadian rhythm.
If standard time becomes permanent, summer sunsets would happen an hour earlier than they currently do in the summer. The sun would also rise earlier during spring and summer.
However, Trump has thrown his support behind the other bill that would make daylight saving time permanent.
Under that bill, the U.S. would see later sunrises and sunsets. In May, the House’s Energy and Commerce Committee approved the bill in a 48-1 vote.
“We are going with the far more popular alternative, Saving Daylight, which gives you a longer, brighter Day – And who can be against that – This is an easy one,” Trump said on Truth Social, referring to the bill.
The Senate passed a measure to make daylight saving time permanent with unanimous consent in 2022, but that bill previously failed to advance in the House.
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 will still need to go through the Senate and be signed by Trump to become law.
Last October, Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who has objected to daylight saving time all year round, cited issues with kids going to school in the dark and farmers working before the sun comes up.
“If permanent Daylight Savings Time becomes the law of the land, it will again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans,” he said at the time.
A senior aide said Tuesday that Cotton has the “same concerns” and that he’ll ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune not to bring up the bill for a vote, per NBC News.
Nineteen states have enacted legislation to make daylight saving time permanent if handed the power by Congress.
