Kat Cammack said the daylight saving bill would end a routine she said disrupts sleep and family schedules, as the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act on Tuesday in a 308-117 vote. The measure now goes to the Senate, and it would only change the country’s clock-setting rules if that chamber acts and President Donald Trump signs it.
Cammack said on the House floor that “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,” then added, “Let's stop asking Americans to reset their clocks every March and November” and “Let's provide some certainty and consistency, and a little more sunshine at the end of the day.” She also said the clock changes have affected her infant son’s sleep schedule.
House vote on Sunshine Protection Act
The House of Representatives approved the bill by a 308-117 margin, a level of support that showed broad backing but not unanimity. The legislation would allow states to voluntarily observe Daylight Saving Time year-round, leaving the decision to federal action now centered in the Senate.
Rep. Vern Buchanan authored the legislation, and the vote followed a floor debate that divided lawmakers in both parties. Democrats were nearly evenly split, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted no. Twenty-two Republicans also opposed the measure.
Florida and Midwest split
Support came largely from coastal areas such as Florida, Louisiana and New Jersey, while lawmakers from the Midwest and agriculture-heavy states opposed permanent Daylight Saving Time. Reps. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Rick Crawford of Arkansas, Ryan Zinke of Montana and Harriet Hageman of Wyoming were among the Republicans who voted against it.
The division tracked a practical disagreement over morning light. Some lawmakers said year-round Daylight Saving Time would push winter sunrises until after 9 a.m. in some parts of the country, a tradeoff that kept the bill from becoming a simple party-line issue.
Senate and President Donald Trump
The White House urged lawmakers to support the Sunshine Protection Act in an internal memo sent to Hill offices on Tuesday, calling it a “popular, common-sense reform.” President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
Nearly 20 states have already approved legislation to make Daylight Saving Time permanent if Congress authorizes the practice, and Hawaii and most of Arizona already do not observe Daylight Saving Time. That leaves the Senate as the next chamber with the power to decide whether the House vote becomes a national rule or stays a one-sided step.
