Daylight Saving debate: Winners — and losers — of ending biannual time changes

Daylight Saving Time (DST) could become permanent in the U.S. after the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which now awaits a House vote and a signature from President Biden before it would become law and go into effect in late 2023.

The goal of DST is to enable people to make more use of daylight. Currently, DST begins when clocks move forward one hour on the second Sunday in March at 2:00 A.M. and ends when clocks move backward one hour on the first Sunday in November at 2:00 A.M. So twice a year, Americans adjust.

Businesses, politicians, sleep experts, and regular Americans are now actively discussing who would benefit from sticking to one schedule all year.

One apparent winner would be golfers and golf courses.

"Golfers, of course, really like the longer days so they can get in more holes before the sun goes down," Greg Nathan, chief business officer for the National Golf Foundation, told Yahoo Finance. "And with the extra evening light, course operators can accommodate more golfers/greens fee revenue."

Phil Mickelson of the U.S. is silhouetted during sunset as he hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the 92nd PGA Golf Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin August 12, 2010. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT GOLF)
Phil Mickelson of the U.S. is silhouetted during sunset as he hits from the 11th tee during the first round of the 92nd PGA Golf Championship at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin August 12, 2010. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT GOLF) · Matt Sullivan / reuters

Farmers, another group often linked to the DST debate, would probably be fine either way.

"Farmers and ranchers will make use of the sunlight no matter the time,” the National Farmers Union told Yahoo Finance in a statement. “There are certain types of farming that are dependent on a daily schedule, like dairy farming, that, depending on the farm, require some routine changes twice a year.”

And who would lose from making DST permanent? Everyone else, according to sleep experts.

“We’re disappointed, especially given the overwhelming scientific and health feeling that this is a bad idea,” Dr. Karin Johnson, a member of the board of directors of Save Standard Time and an associate professor of neurology at UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate, told the New York Times.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, “current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety.” (DST shifts daylight hours later in the evening while and Standard Time shifts daylight hours earlier in the morning.)

Scott Gow assembles a clock dial for a four-dial street clock headed to the Lincoln Haymarket Historic District in Nebraska at the Electric Time Company in Medfield, Massachusetts November 1, 2013. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Scott Gow assembles a clock dial for a four-dial street clock headed to the Lincoln Haymarket Historic District in Nebraska at the Electric Time Company in Medfield, Massachusetts November 1, 2013. REUTERS/Brian Snyder · Brian Snyder / Reuters

'We don't have to do this stupidity anymore'

The unanimous passage of the Sunshine Protection Act suggested bipartisan momentum for making DST permanent.

"I know this is not the most important issue confronting America, but it's one of those issues where there's a lot of agreement," stated Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a co-sponsor of the Sunshine Protection Act. "If we can get this passed, we don't have to do this stupidity anymore."