Pallone Floor Remarks in Support of the Sunshine Protection Act

Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following remarks on the House floor in support of H.R 139, the Sunshine Protection Act:

The Sunshine Protection Act addresses an issue on which many Americans actually agree – stopping the biannual process of changing our clocks. 

Only twelve percent of Americans prefer to switch their clocks twice a year. Far more Americans recognize that the practice is inconvenient and disruptive. 

Stopping the twice-yearly time change benefits the health and well-being of all Americans. The time change inevitably disrupts sleep patterns and is especially disruptive to the sleep of young children and pets.  

Time change also is associated with an increase in the rate of heart attacks and strokes in the days immediately following the change. Disturbingly, studies have shown that the increase in stroke rates after the time change are even higher for some of our most vulnerable populations. For example, cancer patients’ stroke rates increase by 25 percent, and people over the age of 65 are 20 percent more likely to have a stroke in the days following the time change.

The Sunshine Protection Act would implement permanent Daylight Saving Time and stop the twice a year change that disrupts our sleep and our health. 

Taking this action will increase the sunshine hours in the evening, allowing many Americans to leave work to more sunlight in the winter months, not darkness. The increased evening sunlight will also provide a needed boost to our tourism industry. Extra sunlight means more time at the beach, more time eating outside at restaurants, and more time doing outdoor leisure activities.

In my district along the Jersey Shore, tourists can enjoy beautiful coastal areas with serene beaches, embark on fishing ventures along the Atlantic coast, enjoy a nice outdoor concert from iconic musicians in places like Asbury Park, and so much more. Last year alone, New Jersey welcomed more than 120 million visitors to our state, and they contributed more than $50 billion to our state’s economy.

Our tourism industry needs the boost now today more than ever. The Trump Administration’s policies, including high visa fees and the detention and harassment of legal tourists, have discouraged travelers from visiting our country because they simply do not feel welcome. Meanwhile, Americans are facing an affordability crisis, forcing families to make difficult trade-offs including forgoing summer travel. For communities like mine that rely on tourism for our local economies, an extra hour of daylight can make all the difference.

Extra daylight also helps deter crime. Researchers at the Brookings Institution found that criminal incidents decreased during the hour of sunlight added to the evening following the Springtime change. Making that extra sunlight permanent will help keep our communities safer. 

All of the these benefits clearly explain why 19 states have already voted to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time if federal law changed. These states recognize the benefits, and it is time that Congress allows them to reap those benefits. 

And for states that have already chosen to follow permanent Standard Time due to the unique needs of their climate and location – namely, Arizona and Hawaii – under the Sunshine Protection Act they can continue to do so.  

Ultimately, the benefits of stopping the biannual changing of the clocks are numerous and clear. And moving to permanent Daylight Saving Time will bring much needed evening sunlight to communities across the United States. It is time we finally end the process of springing forward and falling back. I urge my colleagues to support the Sunshine Protection Act and I reserve the balance of my time. 

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