After much fanfare, daylight saving time may not be permanent after all

BATON ROUGE – A proposal to keep daylight saving time in place throughout the year may, itself, be falling back. It now appears unlikely to get the necessary approval before Congress adjourns.

That would re-set the effort to Square One, meaning this weekend’s return to standard time may not be our last, after all.

In the spring, the U.S. Senate approved the so-called “Sunshine Protection Act,” which would eliminate the annual shift away from daylight saving time, or DST. Right now, Americans set back their clocks in early November, reinstating DST in March. 

But the bill that would change that never got to a vote in the House of Representatives, and at least one Louisiana lawmaker doesn’t expect it to be considered by the end of the current session.

A spokesperson for U.S. Rep. Troy Carter tells WBRZ that despite the bipartisan support it received in the Senate, where it was introduced by Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, the bill stalled in the House. With just a few weeks left before the end of the session, it appears unlikely to get to a vote there.

That would wipe out the progress made earlier this year and require reintroduction in the next Congress.

Carter, she noted, supports the effort to make DST permanent. The State of Louisiana has also taken steps that would allow it to stay on DST year-round, so long as the federal government permits that move.

The White House has not indicated whether President Joe Biden would sign the Sunshine Protection Act if it reaches his desk.

You can read the full bill and track its progress — or lack of progress — on the website of the U.S. Congress.