The United States is once again considering ending its twice-yearly clock changes, as lawmakers debate legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent despite a failed attempt in the 1970s.
The House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly approved a bill to keep clocks one hour ahead year-round. The proposal now faces uncertainty in the Senate, where several Republicans oppose the measure. President Donald Trump has expressed support for the legislation.
Americans currently move clocks forward in spring and back in autumn. However, an AP-NORC poll last year found only 12 percent of adults supported the biannual time changes, while nearly half opposed them. The American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have backed adopting a single year-round time system.
The US previously experimented with permanent daylight saving time between January and October 1974 before repealing it amid public opposition, largely over concerns that children were travelling to school before sunrise.
Experts say any renewed effort should also consider adjusting US time zones, as sunrise varies widely across large regions. Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Mike Rounds warned that permanent daylight saving time could leave some areas in darkness well into the morning, with sunrise in parts of South Dakota occurring after 9:30 a.m. during winter.