As New Yorkers prepare to “spring” their clocks forward an hour this weekend as daylight saving time begins, state Sen. Joseph Griffo, and Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara continue their efforts to make daylight saving time permanent in New York.

As a result of the enactment of the federal Uniform Time Act in 1966, most Americans advance their clocks by an hour in the warmer months so that it gets dark later and move their clocks back an hour in the fall. All states except for Hawaii and Arizona, as well as several U.S. territories, follow daylight saving time.

For the last several years, Sen. Griffo and Assemblyman Santabarbara have introduced legislation (S1929/A3535) that establishes daylight saving time as the year-round standard time of New York State and New York City. The change would be contingent upon a compact with neighboring states and the federal government passing legislation allowing states to adopt daylight saving time as the permanent standard measure of time.

Since the bill’s introduction, the legislators have continued to communicate, collaborate and coordinate with our legislative colleagues in others states regarding this issue.

Sen. Griffo and Assemblyman Santabarbara recently wrote to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to urge them to support and consider federal legislation that has been introduced that would extend Daylight Saving Time year-round.

Called the Sunshine Protection Act, the bill has been reintroduced by Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida with companion legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan in the House.

Sen. Rubio’s bill was unanimously passed in March 2022 by the U.S. Senate but was not brought up for consideration in the House.

“We believe that making daylight saving time permanent would be beneficial for New York and other states,” Sen. Griffo and Assemblyman Santabarbara wrote to the congressional leaders. “Research and studies have indicated that moving clocks forward one hour in the spring and back in the fall can negatively affect the safety, health and well-being of the public. Observing daylight saving time year round can lead to energy savings and reductions in crime and traffic accidents and increased economic activity, which helps businesses and the economy.”