Rubio legislation would keep daylight saving time year-round

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R) announced Wednesday that he and Florida Rep. Jeanette Nuñez (R) will introduce legislation to standardize daylight saving time for the entire calendar year. 

Rubio said he will sponsor the “Sunshine Protection Act” and the “Sunshine State Act” to make the change nationwide, following Florida’s decision this week to pass similar legislation.

Today, taking the lead from #Florida legislature & @RepJNunez I will be filing legislation to make daylight saving time year round https://t.co/OdHNZ7XtXa

— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) March 14, 2018

{mosads}The Florida legislation cannot take effect until the federal government makes the change, according to The Associated Press. That’s because the provision, which has not yet been signed by Florida’s governor, would shift the state into a different time zone permanently. That requires an act of Congress or a federal regulatory action, according to NPR.

Rubio told the AP that if the time change, which began this week and runs until November, were made permanent, it would help the nation avoid a yearly economic downturn that occurs every November when the days become shorter. That change is proposed in the “Sunshine Protection Act,” which was also the name of the Florida state bill.

But the “Sunshine State Act” would ensure that Florida remains on the new time standard even if the federal government retains the yearly time changes. 

Currently the only states who do not observe daylight savings time are Arizona and Hawaii. Florida would be the only state exempting itself from standard time.

Popularized by Benjamin Franklin, the annual time change remained in place after being used in both World Wars to conserve electricity usage as the nights grew shorter during the winter months.