In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.The House of Representatives on July 14 passed “The Sunshine Protection Act” to put the U.S. permanently on Daylight Saving Time. The bill would not protect any sunshine or save any daylight.The bill would save Americans from changing their clocks twice a year. It would also result in fewer early sunsets. But as with every goodie Congress promises, we would pay a price for these two benefits: later sunrises, and for much of the country, darkness lasting well after 8 am all winter.
Notably, the sponsor of the Sunshine Protection Act is a Floridian, Rep. Vern Buchanan, whose Tampa Bay district sits farther south than 95% of the U.S. population.Yes, latitude matters on this issue, because the places farther from the equator have far greater variation in sunrise and sunset times, and this variation is why DST and clock-shifting exist in the first place.There is more at stake than a couple of nights of disrupted sleep. Very late sunrises could pose dangers for school children. On the other hand, some researchers say that early sunsets are more of a danger. And those twice-a-year clock changes also get blamed for death and illness.Let’s start with why we change the clocks in the first place.Daylight Saving Time Explained
