WASHINGTON.-The House of Representatives of USA approved with a bipartisan vote a bill that establishes maintaining the schedule of summer throughout the year in the country, that is, more hours of light, which would produce significant changes in the daily lives of Americans.
The text awaiting Senate consideration proposes that the United States stop setting its clocks back one hour in the fall and moving them forward another hour in the spring, as has been the case for decades in most of the country.
This would mean more hours of daylight in the afternoon during the winter and also later sunrises in a society that mostly rises early, and it is estimated that it could have an impact on the economy and health in the country, indicated a journalistic analysis.
Territories such as Hawaii and most of Arizona would be under federal review since they maintain the same schedule year-round, such as the one proposed that is already a public debate.
Life changes in the US
Permanent daylight saving time has defenders, especially congressmen from Florida, who maintain that having more light at the end of the day would benefit sectors such as tourism, hospitality, commerce, leisure or outdoor sports.
This, in addition to putting an end to a time change that they consider “unnecessary.”
Representatives of agricultural states, for their part, are reticent because the delay in dawn would complicate the activity of farmers.
Other legislators also warn that millions of schoolchildren would still go to class at night for part of the winter, with possible effects on road safety and performance.
What studies say
While disagreements arise about the project, numerous studies indicate that eliminating seasonal time changes reduces the risk of heart attacks, traffic accidents and metabolic problems.
Chronobiology experts at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, for example, warn that permanently setting daylight saving time and having later sunrises alters circadian rhythms and increases morning sleepiness.
Therefore, they recommend that if a single schedule is approved, the standard time that we enter when the clocks go back in the fall should be maintained to ensure more natural light early in the day.
Precedents of the controversial schedule
The project, which after Senate review will require the signature of President Donald Trump, is not the first and has a history of controversial blocking.
In 2022, the Upper House gave the green light to a similar proposal but it ultimately did not prosper in the House of Representatives.
The country already experienced permanent daylight saving time in the 1970s under President Richard Nixon to address the energy crisis, but the measure was revoked months later due to discontent generated by very late sunrises during the winter, he reported.
