We function best, scientists tell us, on a physical, mental, and
social level when our bodies, the Sun, and the clock on the wall are
all aligned.
  Kids perform better at school. Workers are more alert. That is why we
observe standard time in the winter months and why we should at least
consider observing it year-round.
  The American Medical Association, American Academy of Sleep Medicine,
National Sleep Foundation, and dozens of other societies tell us that
if we stop the clock, permanent standard time is a healthier choice--
permanent standard time.
  That is not the debate before us. We have been here before. In 1974,
children died as a result of a permanent daylight saving time attempt
or trial when they were trying to go to school in the dark for hours.
In 1974, this was revoked.
  More than that, we aren't voting on bills right now that would reduce
the sky-high costs of food, fuel, and healthcare or address the
President's war in Iran. Instead, we are considering a bill that was
deadly and dangerous in the past, in the seventies, that we learned
from. I hope we don't have to learn that lesson again.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
  I want to add that the substance of this bill was heard in the Energy
and Commerce Committee recently and placed into the surface
transportation bill. It does have bipartisan support. Also, if you want
your standard time under this bill, you can keep your standard time.
  Mr. Speaker, 19 States, again, have passed legislation for permanent
daylight saving time.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Sessions), my good friend.
  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Bilirakis and the Energy and
Commerce Committee for bringing this bill forward.
  My dear friend, the gentleman from Florida, Vern Buchanan, years ago
began this process, understanding that it was more than just an issue
that Congress would deal with. It is also an issue that is called
spring forward, fall back.
  You fall back as we get to October, and that means you lose the time,
the light that you had all this time. Spring forward is always seen by
the American people--and if you serve for Roger Williams and the
Republican congressional baseball team--as an opportunity for you to be
able to see for the first time in the light what the day is going to
look like to catch a fly ball.
  The bottom line to this whole thing is spring forward, fall back is
something that impacts every single American. It impacts people when
they go to work. It impacts people as they try to find time to play
with their children at night--just a little bit extra time. It helps
people who have retinal or eye issues to be able to see more clearly
for longer from the time they get up until the time they work their way
home, perhaps after work.
  It is no wonder that spring forward, fall back is something that the
American people are asking Congress to please standardize and give them
more light and opportunity. Spring forward, fall back is an opportunity
for the American people to have more time in the light of day to not
only live their lives but to accomplish those things, rather than being
in the dark.

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. Speaker, I will tell you that what this does is it makes it
standard across the country, and it does. I think that puts us all with
the same opportunity, and that is what the American people want.
  I couldn't exactly say it because I didn't want to say it wrong, but
``spring forward, fall back'' is a commonsense opportunity that every
single person knows and understands because as we now have enjoyed our
spring forward, if we pass this, we do not have to change it to fall
back, to fall back to darkness, to fall back to change.
  Lastly, it impacts my staff greatly and anyone on Capitol Hill
because we are very acutely aware that when we get off work, like
hundreds of millions of Americans, they go home in the dark. It means
that people go into parking lots in the dark. It means that people go
and perhaps walk home or drive in the dark at a time when it would be a
safety factor.
  There are, of course, those who do not want this. That really does
not bother me. For us to address this with fear rather than knowing
that the American people want this is the issue about what drives me to
be here.
  It is big in Texas because we spend a lot of time outside. I want to
reiterate to the American people: We are listening. It is something we
have taken up for a long time. Finally, Vern Buchanan and the Energy
and Commerce Committee have brought this bill to us.
  I am very pleased to say I will be an ``aye'' vote. I hope that my
colleagues will be the same.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to address the issue that was mentioned that
in 1974 Congress voted to move to permanent daylight savings time and
then reversed that decision.
  I think that 50 years later, things are different. First of all, in
the 1970s, when that was the case, things have changed in the sense
that schools have pushed start times later in many districts, including
in my district and dramatically fewer kids walk to school. Also, remote
and hybrid work has had significant impact on Americans' commuting
patterns. Things are not the same today as they were in the 1970s in
terms of what people did and how they worked and how they went to
school.
  Passing this bill now also in the peak summer months gives everyone--
and that is schools, workplaces, transit systems--time to plan for this
change well in advance of the darkest winter months, and I think that
is important also. I am also confident that we are setting ourselves up
to succeed this time around so Americans can reap the benefits of
eliminating the time change.
  Again, it is the time change that really is the problem. Most of us,
whether you are for permanent daylight savings time or permanent
standard time, don't want to see the switching back and forth.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and, again, I reserve the
balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie), our good chairman of the
Energy and Commerce Committee, who led this through the committee. We
appreciate him so very much.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate my friend from Florida
yielding. It is fun today because I have my friend from Florida
controlling time. I

have another friend from Florida (Mr. Soto) speaking for the bill, and
we have the sponsor from Florida. I will say also to the American
people, Mr. Speaker, through you, that a very famous resident of
Florida mentioned this to me in the Oval Office a few weeks ago, so I
know there is strong support.
  It is actually called the Sunshine Protection Act, and the reason is
people like the longer daylight hours. They like daylight even in the
wintertime. I live on the very eastern end of central time. My district
is split almost down the middle. I represent people who are on the very
western end of eastern time, and I live on the very eastern end of
central time. It does get dark at approximately 4:30 in the afternoon
where I live.
  People want more time, and they want more daylight. The thing is that
they just don't want to have to change their clocks. As my friend from
New Jersey talked about, in 1974, we did vote to change. It was because
of the energy crisis going on when I was a kid. They changed it in the
middle of winter. It created all kinds of disturbance.
  What we have done with this bill is let people know ahead of time,
you are not going to have to change your clock. We have General
Assemblies that can lock in which time they want. We all know that
Arizona and Hawaii stay on standard time. They will stay on standard
time if their General Assembly so chooses. Any other State has the
opportunity, whether they are in session or not.
  There is always a provision. I know in Kentucky they are not in
session, but there is a provision that if Kentucky wants to stay on
standard time, the Governor can call them into session and do so. I
don't think they are going to do that. We have given States
flexibility, but we have given our country consistency.
  I really appreciate the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Buchanan) for
working hard on this bill. I believe it is the right time to do it, so
I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection
Act, and I believe it will be good for the American people.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to really stress, again, why
I think that the status quo is bad. I mean, obviously, some people
here--I think a majority--would like to see a permanent daylight
savings time and some who I think are in the minority would like to see
a permanent standard time.
  However, the bottom line is we just can't continue the status quo,
Mr. Speaker, because the science and research really is clear. It shows
that springing forward and falling back twice a year is harmful to our
health. It makes Americans less safe, and it is very unpopular.
  Studies have shown increases, as I mentioned before, in heart attacks
and strokes, mood and sleep disturbances, and hospital admissions in
the days after a time change. Studies have also shown that increases in
stroke rates with the time change are even higher for some of our most
vulnerable populations, and that includes seniors, for example.