HR 139 · Passed House · 07-15-26
Sunshine Protection Act of 2025
What does the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 do?
HR 139 is a House bill sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL). Under current federal law, clocks in places that observe the change are set forward one hour on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November. This bill ends that seasonal change by repealing the law that requires it, and instead moves all nine U.S. standard time zones permanently one hour later, so the later clock setting used during that period becomes the year-round standard.
Did HR 139 pass? Where it stands
As of August 27, 2026, HR 139 has passed the House.
Status: Passed House
Latest vote: House Passed 308–117 on July 14, 2026
Outlook: Possible
Key provisions
- What Federal Time Law Does Now
- One-hour advance runs second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November
- A State lying entirely in one zone may exempt itself by law
- Nine zones set as offsets from Coordinated Universal Time
- Permanent Shift to Later Clock Time
- Repeals the section that requires the seasonal one-hour advance
- First zone moves from four to three hours behind Coordinated Universal Time
- Ninth zone moves from ten to eleven hours ahead
- Choice for States Already Exempt
- Exempt States and areas may keep their day-before-enactment clock
- Choice is made as the State considers appropriate
- No deadline, form, or filing step is stated
Last updated August 27, 2026