House Passes Sunshine Protection Act to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

The House on Tuesday passed the Sunshine Protection Act, sending legislation to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide to the Senate. The lower chamber voted 308-117 for the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, which would make daylight saving time the permanent standard time.

The vote

Twenty-two Republicans and 95 Democrats voted against the measure. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), would end the twice-annual clock change that has been in place since the Uniform Time Act of 1966.

It would put the country on the time currently observed from March to November unless a state exempted itself before the act took effect. Hawaii and most of Arizona currently use standard time year-round.

Senate is the wall

The bill now heads to the upper chamber, where its path is murky. The Senate adopted a similar measure in 2022, but it was never taken up in the House.

Sen. Tom Cotton is a key opponent. Cotton said the change to permanent daylight saving time could lead to overlooked negative consequences, pointing to parts of the country where the sun wouldn’t rise until 9 a.m. or later and citing potentially dangerous, dark morning commutes and workers who would need to work early mornings without sun. The aide said Cotton will ask Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., not to bring up the legislation for a vote.

Do you want to see how to make more plays? Do you want to find gains yourself?

Unusual Whales helps you find market opportunities through our market tide, historical options flow, GEX, and much, much more.

Create a free account here to start conquering the market with Unusual Whales.

Trump backs it

In May, when the bill advanced out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Trump said he would sign it into law if it makes it to his desk. On Wednesday morning, he called the passage of the bill “Great News for America!”

Supporters argue more evening daylight lifts retail, hospitality, and outdoor spending. More important, he said, it would give families more daylight time in the evening to spend outdoors and support local businesses.

Why traders should care

Permanent daylight saving time has historically been pitched as a tailwind for retail foot traffic, restaurants, travel, and leisure. More usable evening light tends to lengthen the shopping and dining window, particularly in the winter months.

Golf, home improvement, and outdoor recreation names have also been cited in past studies as potential beneficiaries. On the flip side, morning-heavy businesses and school-transport-linked names could face pushback if darker mornings become the political sticking point in the Senate.

Options market and stocks to watch

Watch for movement in names tied to evening consumer activity and outdoor spending if the Senate schedules a vote:

• WMT: watch for retail foot-traffic commentary tied to extended evening daylight.
• HD: home improvement historically benefits from longer evenings and DIY project time.
• MCD: quick-service restaurants often see later dinner traffic when evenings stay lit.
• DIS: theme parks and Florida tourism are directly cited by the bill’s Florida sponsors.
• ELF and other consumer discretionary names: watch for sentiment shifts if the Senate signals movement.

For more on this and other market-moving stories, see other news on Unusual Whales.

Want more market intelligence? Create your free Unusual Whales account for options flow, market tide, GEX, and the full toolkit.