Congress locks nation into permanent daylight time, stripping states of choice
H.R. 7378 — Daylight Act of 2026 · Filed by W. Steube (R-FL) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Feb 4, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill permanently moves the United States to Daylight Saving Time year-round by amending the 1918 Calder Act to shift all time zones 0.5 hours earlier and repealing the federal rule that allows states to opt out of daylight saving. The effect is that the nation stays on daylight time indefinitely, eliminating the twice-yearly clock changes.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative mechanism is to lock the nation into year-round daylight saving time by adjusting all time-zone offsets uniformly and repealing the federal opt-out provision. It is a straightforward time-policy change, not a tax, appropriation, or regulatory carve-out.
What the text implies
- Eliminates state and local authority to choose standard time, centralizing time policy at the federal level and removing a form of regulatory federalism that has existed since 1966.
- The 0.5-hour uniform shift affects all ten time zones identically, which may create misalignment with international time standards and complicate cross-border commerce and communication.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who it affects
Permanent daylight time eliminates twice-yearly disruption to sleep, schedules, and health (a concrete benefit), but removes state and local choice to remain on standard time, which some citizens and regions prefer for morning light and circadian alignment. The trade-off is genuine: convenience vs.