Permanent Daylight Saving Time: A bright idea with a dark morning cost

The House has moved to make Daylight Saving Time permanent (308-117), but history warns this would bring real downsides: a 1973-74 push briefly won broad support, saved little energy, and left winter sunrises late enough to keep children in darkness; safety concerns and misalignment with Europe were noted, and Florida saw early morning deaths after the change. Critics say permanent DST would shift daylight later rather than add it, resulting in months of dark mornings in many regions, while the Senate already passed a version in 2022.