1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Sunshine Protection Act and, if the legislation comes before the Senate for consideration, to vote against making Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide. I strongly support ending the twice-yearly disruption of changing our clocks. However, permanent Daylight Saving Time is the wrong solution—particularly for states like Illinois. Eliminating the clock change should not come at the cost of pushing winter sunrises even later for millions of Americans living in northern states. In Illinois, permanent Daylight Saving Time would mean substantially later winter sunrises. Children would be traveling to school, people would be commuting to work, and many families would begin their mornings in darkness for an extended portion of the winter. The fundamental problem with the Sunshine Protection Act is that it treats the issue as though the only meaningful daylight is daylight after work. For those of us living in northern states, winter daylight is already scarce. Moving the clock permanently forward does not create a single additional minute of sunlight. It simply moves an hour of available morning light into the evening. Congress has already tried permanent year-round Daylight Saving Time. In 1974, the United States adopted year-round Daylight Saving Time as an energy-saving measure. The experiment was so unpopular that Congress moved to repeal it less than a year later, with the change taking effect in 1975. The experience should serve as a warning that the appeal of permanent Daylight Saving Time can look very different once Americans actually have to live with dark winter mornings. I also believe Congress should distinguish between the legitimate goal of eliminating the twice-yearly clock change and the very different question of which time should become permanent. If the twice-yearly transition is outdated and disruptive, Congress should consider permanent Standard Time rather than permanently adopting Daylight Saving Time. There is good reason to be cautious about rushing this legislation through simply because Americans dislike changing their clocks. Eliminating an inconvenience is not sufficient justification for creating a new, nationwide schedule that could have significant consequences for schools, commuters, children, public safety, sleep, and daily life—especially in northern states. Illinois should not have to accept darker winter mornings simply because permanent Daylight Saving Time is more attractive to states farther south. I therefore respectfully ask you to: Publicly oppose the Sunshine Protection Act; Vote against the legislation if it reaches the Senate floor; and Support efforts to eliminate the twice-yearly clock change by adopting permanent Standard Time instead. The 1974 experiment demonstrated that permanent Daylight Saving Time is not simply a theoretical policy change. We have tried it before, and Congress ultimately reversed course. We should learn from that experience rather than repeat it. Please stand up for the interests of Illinois residents and oppose permanent Daylight Saving Time. Thank you for your consideration and for your service to the people of Illinois.