With clocks "springing forward" to observe Daylight Saving Time on Sunday, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) called on his colleagues to pass the so-called Sunshine Protection Act to make Daylight Saving Time a permanent practice during a floor speech on Monday.
Tuberville said his office had received widespread support from his constituents to end what he called an outdated practice.
"A constituent from Talladega County writes, 'Daylight Saving Time year-round means the elderly, like myself, will be able to be more active in the early evenings,'" Tuberville said. "Another from Mobile writes 'Please try and do whatever is necessary to have Daylight Saving Time permanent in Alabama. Everyone I know and talk to wants this. Who would not want more daylight in the evening?' And this is from a mental health professional: 'I am writing to let you know of the negative effects on my population of having the time change the way it does in November towards an earlier sundown. It increases depression and decreases productivity in about half of my psychiatric patients…' These messages make important points, and I couldn't agree more."
The junior U.S. Senator reminded his colleagues that the changing of time was intended to be temporary.
"Introduced as a temporary measure during World War I, Daylight Saving Time was originally called 'war time,' and it was a way to help conserve fuel and better utilize resources," Tuberville said.
The Sunshine Protection Act (S.623) was initially offered by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Tuberville urged his colleagues to support it.
"The Sunshine Protection Act makes sense from a health and economic perspective," Tuberville added. "And it is just common sense. It is time we pass the Sunshine Protection Act."
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