Congress shifts time-zone power to states, making standard time permanent
H.R. 9638 — Sunshine for Our Kids Act of 2026 · Filed by Mary Scanlon (D-PA) · 10 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 9, 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 makes standard time (winter time) permanent nationwide, repealing the federal requirement for daylight saving time. However, individual states can still choose to observe daylight saving time year-round if they pass their own laws to do so. The change takes effect the first Sunday in November after enactment.
Why we flagged it
The bill restructures federal time-zone law by repealing the daylight saving mandate and shifting authority to states. It is a straightforward federalism and public-health measure, not a tax, subsidy, or regulatory carve-out.
What the text implies
- States that do not affirmatively elect daylight saving time will remain on standard time permanently, potentially creating time-zone fragmentation if neighboring states make different choices.
- The bill does not address interstate commerce or transportation coordination; businesses and travelers crossing state lines may face scheduling complexity.
- Permanent standard time means later sunrise times in winter (e.g., 8 a.m. or later in northern states), which may conflict with school start times and morning commute safety despite the bill's child-safety framing.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Permanent standard time may benefit children's sleep and safety (the bill's stated rationale) and eliminates twice-yearly clock disruptions for most citizens. However, the benefit depends on individual state choices—citizens in states that elect daylight saving time see no change, and the public-health evidence on permanent standard vs. daylight time is contested; some research favors permanent daylight time for evening safety and activity.
Named in the bill
Uniform Time Act of 1966, Act of March 19, 1918, U.S. states, House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Where it stands
10 cosponsors: 8 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
- Jul 9, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 9, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,790 characters) on Oct 26, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,580 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-26.
“Congress shifts time-zone power to states, making standard time permanent” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr9638 Report an error
The week in bills
One email, Sunday: what Congress passed, what it changed, and who paid.
One link arrives to confirm the address. It is used for this email and nothing else, and every issue carries an unsubscribe link.