Why The Sunshine Protection Act Is A Bad Idea, Especially In Minnesota

The US House of Representatives has passed the Sunshine Protection Act. The vote wasn't even close, as it passed 308-117 on July 14th, 2026. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent, which would end the twice-yearly ritual of changing our clocks. It sounds good, right?

Daylight Saving Time Current Conditions

Moving the clocks an hour forward in the spring and back in the fall is a real pain. Especially in Minnesota, where we have very little daylight during the winter. Sunsets at 4:30 are depressing. Many people go to work in the dark and return home in the dark. It's why so many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder.

So what would it look like if the bill passed and we didn't turn our clocks back this fall? We'd have later sunsets, but also later sunrises. We still have the same amount of daylight hours; it's just going to remain later in the day.

white and brown analog clock

Kids Would Be Going To School In The Dark

The biggest drawback to making daylight saving time permanent would be that for much of the winter, our kids would be going to school in the dark. Sunrises in December are around 7:45 AM, currently. That would change to 8:45 AM if we don't turn back our clocks.

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We've Tried It Before

We tried this a generation ago in 1974, and we switched back to the clock changes because people hated it. There were more accidents involving kids walking to school being hit by cars in the dark. More traffic accidents happened overall because of the darker morning commute.

Sunshine Protection Act Heads To Senate

Now, the Senate will vote on it. It's expected to hit some obstacles, but if it does pass, President Trump says he will sign the bill.