Are we on our way to keeping Daylight Saving Time year round?

The Senate just passed a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. What would that mean for Chicago?

Photo by yns plt on Unsplash

(CHICAGO) There's not much daylight to be had in the dark months of winter in Chicagoland. Situated close to the border between the Central and Eastern time zones, the sun sets in Chicago as early as 4:19 PM in December.

If the Chicago area keeps Daylight Saving Time (DST) year-round, Chicagoans will get an extra hour of daylight in the winter. Sunset at 5:19 PM certainly doesn't sound nearly as dismal as the alternative.

However, there is a definite trade-off since sunrise in the winter during the standard time comes at 7:18 AM for Chicago in early January. Meaning the sun would not rise under permanent DST until nearly 8:30 AM.

School children would be waiting for buses in the dark during winter, which is the main argument against permanent DST. Although, the benefit of an extra hour of sunlight after school for outdoor activities is enticing to many.

What comes next for the Senate bill?

Yesterday on March 15th, the U.S. Senate passed Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 with unanimous consent. The next step before it can become law is House approval and a signature from President Biden.

Will the House pass the bill?

We don't know yet. A time has not been set for the House to vote on the bill. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing on it recently where it did generate bipartisan support.

The White House has not said whether Biden supports the bill or not.

What is public opinion on changing the clocks?

Most Americans support keeping the clocks at DST permanently, according to a poll by YouGov America. In the survey 63% of respondents said they don't want to change the clocks twice a year. As for whether they'd like to stay on standard time or DST year-round, 48% wanted to keep DST, while only 29% voted to keep standard time.

What are the benefits of keeping one time?

According to the sleep experts at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, switching the clocks contributes to sleep deprivation and health risks. And Science Daily reports a spike in fatal car crashes in the week after the time change.

What would happen to states that don't observe DST?

They can keep on standard time. Arizona and Hawaii never change their clocks. They remain on standard time all year, as do American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The bill would allow these states and territories to remain on standard time.

Is it goodbye to 4:30 PM sunsets in Chicago?

If the bill passes the House and gets signed into law, this recent time change to DST could be the last one, and Chicagoans could experience just a little bit of extra sunlight at the end of the day next winter.

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