Dusty Johnson Co-Sponsoring “Sunshine Protection Act to Make Daylight Savings Time Permanent”

In a press release from the office of Dusty Johnson. He says he is signing on to a bill to make Daylight Saving time permanent.

You can review the bill and see all the co-sponsors at this link:

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/69/all-info

Below is Dusty Johnson's Press Release:

Fewer Time Changes, More Sunlight

By Rep. Dusty Johnson

November 12, 2021

Last Sunday, you probably woke up one of two ways: rested because of the extra hour of sleep or bright and early because your kids didn’t get the memo on Daylight Saving Time (DST).

We go through this rigmarole twice a year – the extra hour of sleep sounds nice in theory, but that perk fades quickly when it starts getting dark before you are off of work. The additional hour of darkness in the evening results in less exposure to sunlight, leading to a biochemical imbalance in the brain, which increases the possibility of being affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

In the United States, DST was first instituted during World War I to assist with the war effort. While Daylight Saving Time has been observed for a little over a century, there’s much debate about putting an end to this practice. In fact, 29 states have introduced legislation to stop DST.

Last year, I was open to the idea that it should be eliminated and wanted to learn more about the impact such a move would have on South Dakota. I was curious if folks supported this move – or if they even cared – so I conducted a Twitter poll.

I asked a simple question: “Do you support getting rid of time changes?” The majority of people are united on this issue, and of the 4,103 responses, 89% supported getting rid of daylight savings. We may have just discovered the one policy that most Americans can agree on.

After receiving this feedback, I signed onto the Sunshine Protection Act which eliminates the “fall back” daylight saving time change. Fewer time changes, more sunlight in the evenings = a win for everyone.

Like many of you, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family after work and it is increasingly difficult to do so when it gets dark so early. Until we see a victory on the Sunshine Protection Act – keep powering through – spring will be here soon enough.