Sen. Marco Rubio wants Daylight Saving Time year-round for all of US

Florida's senior senator re-files Sunshine Protection Act bill

ORLANDO, Fla. – One year ago, then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill into law to have Florida stay on Daylight Saving Time year-round. Congress, however, has not approved the measure, meaning the Sunshine State will continue to "spring ahead" and "fall back" every year.

Unless Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., gets his way.

Rubio on Wednesday is expected to reintroduce the Sunshine Protection Act of 2019, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent for all of the United States, according to his deputy chief of staff Dan Holler.

Rubio initially filed the bill in March 2018.

The Florida Daylight Saving Time bill, which passed 33-2 in the Senate and 103-11 in the House last year, was signed into law by Scott, who is now the junior U.S. senator in Florida.

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Currently, states can only opt out of Daylight Saving Time. Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states on Standard Time year-round.

In a summary of the Sunshine Protection Act, reasons for supporting the bill include economic activity and tourism, while opposing reasons include dark bus stops and conserving energy.

Fei Xue, a mother who lives in Orlando, said she could get behind the bill.

"I think it's a good idea if we don't have Daylight Saving, but for the entire country," Xue said. "I don't think it's great if we just do it for Florida."

Watch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for updates.


About the Author

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

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