Senate passes bill to make daylight saving time permanent

Details: The bill — the Sunshine Protection Act co-sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — was passed by unanimous consent.

• It would make daylight saving time permanent in 2023.

The big picture: Health groups have called for an end to the seasonal shifting of clocks, a ritual first adopted in the U.S. more than a century ago.

• At a house hearing last week, health experts cited sleep deprivation and health problems as negative effects associated with changing clocks.
• Nearly two-thirds of Americans want to stop changing their clocks, according to a 2021 Economist/YouGov poll.

What they're saying: "No more dark afternoons in the winter. No more losing an hour of sleep every spring. We want more sunshine during our most productive waking hours," Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said on the Senate floor after the passage of the bill.

But, but, but: In the 1970s — the last time Congress made daylight saving time permanent — the decision was reversed in less than a year after the early morning darkness proved dangerous for school children and public sentiment changed.

What's next: Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) will lead a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling for immediate House passage of his bill, Axios has learned.