Sunshine Protection Act of 2025

Summary

Removes the federal temporary daylight saving period and permanently shifts the federal statutory standard-time offsets forward by one hour, effectively making current daylight saving time the new default federal standard. States or areas that previously chose to opt out of the daylight saving schedule may either adopt the new nationwide standard-time offsets or retain the standard time that existed the day before enactment. Changes take effect upon enactment and require updates to legal time references and timekeeping practices.

• Removes the temporary daylight saving period from federal law, eliminating the twice-yearly mandatory clock change under that statute.
• Shifts federal statutory standard-time offsets forward by one hour, making current daylight saving time the new default federal time.
• Areas that previously exempted themselves may choose either the new statutory standard time or keep the pre-enactment standard time.
• Amends specific U.S. Code provisions that define standard-time offsets; changes take effect upon enactment.
• Requires legal, administrative, and technical updates (laws, timekeeping software, timetables) but does not appropriate federal funds or create new programs.
• Affects daily schedules for residents, businesses, schools, and transportation due to darker mornings and lighter evenings in winter months.
• Preserves a limited opt-out mechanism for jurisdictions that had earlier chosen year-round standard time.
• Will require coordination with international partners and updates to electronic systems that rely on statutory time definitions.