Lawmakers look to make Daylight Saving Time permanent

Daylight Saving Time will end this weekend, but the fall tradition of setting our clocks back an hour could become a thing of the past if new proposed legislation is approved by Congress.

"This changing of the clocks back and forth, it makes no sense at all," Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said.

Rubio sponsored the Sunshine Protection Act in the Senate, which has gotten bipartisan support with cosponsors like Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA).

"As a former pre-school teacher, the day after we change clocks, kids would come to school and drag," Murray said. "It would take them two weeks to get reoriented. Changing your time disrupts families. It disrupts our economy."

The Department of Transportation has said the time shifts save energy.

Rubio's proposal said making DST permanent would be safer for drivers because daylight hours would better align with standard work hours and visibility on the road would be increased.

Congress has failed to pass this kind of change before.

Murray said the cosponsors are hopeful it will get enough support to pass legislation this time around, but if not, they are looking at making a regulatory change through the Department of Transportation.

Seven states have approved state legislation to make DST permanent, but they still need congressional approval to put it in effect.

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Cox Media Group