U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is filing legislation that would let Florida and the nation keep daylight saving time all year.
The Florida Republican is introducing the “Sunshine Protection Act” and the “Sunshine State Act” on Wednesday.
The first bill would make daylight saving time permanent across the country. Currently, it runs from March to November. Most Americans must set their clocks ahead one hour in the spring and then turn them back in November.
The second bill would let Florida remain in daylight saving time on its own.
Last week the Florida Legislature agreed to make Florida the first state to adopt year-round daylight saving time statewide. But the change cannot take effect unless Congress changes federal law.
Rubio said keeping daylight saving time year-round would benefit the economy.
(AP)
4 Responses
Daylight savings in the winter, especially in places well north of Florida, or located by the western boundaries of time zones, would be very good for Baal ha-battim needing to get home after working on Friday. It would be very for anyone trying to go to minyan before work, or even to daven at home before work.
I don’t agree with Rubio on much, but the first bill I support. The second, I don’t, as Florida should have the same time zone as any other state. But I would love an extra hour of daylight every day.
In the mid-1970s, the U.S. had year-round DST. It was a major headache for frum people because the earliest time for shacharis was well into the work day.
The thought of Haneitz Hachamah being between 7:30 AM and 8:20 AM for most of the winter means devatation for local shuls and their minyanim. Most people would have to go to work and find time to go daven shachris. The advantage Erev Shabbos is not so great as most people would still have to leave early even with the earliest shabbos being at 5:09 (here in NY). I am sure the Agudah will fight this bill.