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President Donald Trump has urged Congress to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, saying it could help reduce murder and robbery rates.
Since World War I, the U.S. has periodically moved clocks forward during the warmer months to extend daylight into the evening, a practice known as Daylight Saving Time (DST). Each autumn, clocks are turned back by one hour as most of the country returns to standard time.
The legislation passed the House in mid-July, with 308 lawmakers in favor and 117 opposed. It is now being considered by the Senate, and if it passes the president is keen to sign it into law.
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"For many years, the vast Majority of Americans have asked to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, but no Administration has been able to get it properly done, until now," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday. "I am proud to announce that the House of Representatives has passed the Bill, and it has now gone to the Senate for final approval."
He added: "Leading Medical, Crime, and Economic Studies have shown that ceasing the biannual time change, giving us one extra hour of natural sunlight in the evenings, will help Decrease Robbery and Murder Rates, Reduce Car Accidents (especially those involving Pedestrians!), Lower Risk for Cardiac Issues, Stroke, and Seasonal Depression, Make It Safer for Children to Walk Home from School, Increase Time with your Family, Strongly Support Extracurricular Activities, Be a Big Boost to Sports, Fitness, Tourism, Retail, and the Restaurant Industries (and more!), and Save Money on Energy Bills, because everyone will be enjoying an EXTRA HOUR OF DAYLIGHT.
"In other words, leave it as it is now, and never change again. This is an issue that Republicans, Dumocrats, and Independents can unite behind. I am asking Republican Senators to PASS THE SUNSHINE PROTECTION ACT, ASAP."
What Is Daylight Saving Time?
In most of the United States, DST begins on the second Sunday in March, when clocks move forward by one hour at 2 a.m. The change shifts an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening. DST ends on the first Sunday in November, when clocks are turned back one hour and standard time resumes.
The system is governed by federal law, although states and territories are not required to observe it. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not use DST, although the Navajo Nation in Arizona does. Several U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, also remain on standard time year-round.
Does Daylight Saving Time Reduce the Murder Rate?
Research suggests additional evening daylight may see a reduction in the rates of some crimes, particularly robbery, but studies have not found consistent evidence that it reduces homicide rates.
A 2012 Stanford working paper reported a sharp fall in murders around sunset following the spring clock change, but the effect was not statistically significant in the researchers' later analysis. More recent research across 11 U.S. cities published in the journal Lighting Research & Technology similarly found no significant relationship between daylight and homicide, while finding much stronger evidence that additional light reduces the number of robberies.
Where The Bill Stands
The Sunshine Protection Act has passed the House and has been introduced in the Senate, where it has been referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Why Was DST Introduced?
DST was introduced mainly to make better use of evening daylight and reduce energy use, particularly during wartime.
Moving the clocks forward in spring shifts an hour of daylight from the early morning, when many people are asleep, to the evening, when people are more active. Supporters argue this reduces the need for artificial lighting and therefore saves fuel.
Although versions of the idea had been proposed earlier, DST was first adopted on a large scale during World War I. Germany introduced it in 1916 as part of an effort to conserve coal, and Britain and several other European countries soon followed. The United States introduced seasonal daylight saving time in 1918 under the Standard Time Act, which also established the nation’s five time zones.
DST was abandoned or used inconsistently in many countries after World War I, before returning during World War II, when conserving fuel and electricity again became a priority. In the decades afterward, governments increasingly justified it not only on energy grounds but also on the benefits of having more daylight in the evening. In the United States, the federal government first standardized the twice-yearly clock change in 1966.
In the early 1970s, the U.S. energy crisis prompted the federal government to experiment with year-round daylight saving time. After an oil embargo was imposed by Arab states following U.S. support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War, fuel prices surged and policymakers looked for ways to cut energy use.
Congress approved permanent DST as a temporary energy-saving measure in December 1973, and President Richard Nixon signed it into law. The change took effect on January 6, 1974, and was initially fairly popular.
But enthusiasm quickly faded. Later sunrises meant that many children were travelling to school before daylight, raising concerns about pedestrian safety. The change also disrupted transportation and school schedules. Congress ultimately cut the experiment short in October 1974, restoring the previous system rather than continuing year-round DST for the planned two years.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Matthew Robinson and Tony Phillips.
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