WASHINGTON – Time is continuing to pass by efforts to end the twice-a-year process of Americans changing their clocks.
On Tuesday, the efforts by U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville in pushing for his “Sunshine Protection Act,” a bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent, were once again rebuffed by his Senate colleagues.
“This weekend, my constituents back home in Alabama and across America will be forced to change their clocks,” Tuberville said in reintroducing his bill. “As a result, it will be dark in Washington, D.C. at 5 p.m. next week. In the five years I have served here in the Senate, making Daylight Saving Time permanent is the number one issue that I hear about back home.
“So, here I am advocating once again to make the outdated practice of changing the clock a thing of the past.”
Tuberville (R-Auburn) brought up the bill via Live UC — a process by which a senator can “force a vote” via Unanimous Consent and if another senator doesn’t object, it will pass.
However, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) objected, so the bill did not pass.
Tuberville cited studies on the “devastating impact” changing clocks has on health including a spike in fatal car wrecks and higher risk of heart attacks.
“… the long-term health effects linked to changing our clocks include weight gain, cluster headaches, and depression,” he said. “You would think we would listen to all that.
“Bottom line: switching our clocks disrupts sleep patterns, and it has been proven time and time again to be harmful to the health. It’s bad for sleep, it’s bad for nutrition, and it’s bad for overall health.”
