# Does today's unanimous Senate approval of a permanent DST bill mean it's a fait accompli? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 15, 2022, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145 "2022-03-15T23:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/261 "2022-04-11T16:21:12Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > This sounds a lot like you’ve never gotten home after dark and needed clear the snow that fell in the afternoon by flashlight. Around here, it’s dark when I get home regardless whether it’s standard time or saving time. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/262 "2022-04-11T18:56:21Z")
Is anyone giving odds that the House will pass a bill forbidding DST, making standard time the rule year-round? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanubv.2/32/3260_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUBv.2)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/263 "2022-04-11T19:30:12Z")
This may be a moot point now that it’s a nationwide issue, but I recall when this was proposed just for FL by (I think) Marco Rubio. Many in our office were all atizzy because we’re aligned with the stock market and “ohmagosh, if we’re not on the same time as NY we’ll have to get up earlier!”, etc, etc, Obviously FL wants more available daylight because of tourism and the biggest reason why this didn’t happen here years ago is that it’s in the State constitution or something that we can opt out of changing the clocks _but only if we go to year round standard time._ Anyone else heard something like that in their own state? ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/264 "2022-04-11T20:52:16Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUBv.2](#): > > the biggest reason why this didn’t happen here years ago is that it’s in the State constitution or something that we can opt out of changing the clocks _but only if we go to year round standard time._ Anyone else heard something like that in their own state? That’s because of federal law: Uniform Time Act [Uniform Time Act - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Time_Act) The law does not require all states observe DST, but it does put forth the procedures for states that do observe DST, and pre-empted all state laws that differ from the federal timelines. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/265 "2022-04-12T03:19:12Z")
I’d say less than 5% chance the House will pass the bill this year. It only passed the Senate through a fluke, it’s gotten a lot more contentious now that people are paying attention, and it’s an election year. They may pass something along the lines of requiring a study of the idea, but it’s more likely they’ll just let it quietly die in committee. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2022, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/266 "2022-04-12T23:32:04Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Rubio’s apparently getting some shit over this, but to be fair every Senate office was alerted ahead of time that this would come up for unanimous consent and had the opportunity to register an objection. The likely outcome is that offices will start scrutinizing unanimous consent requests more closely, which will only gum up the works even more in a Senate that already moves at a snail’s pace. > **[Everyone Was Surprised By The Senate Passing Permanent Daylight Saving Time....](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/paulmcleod/daylight-saving-time-senate)** > > An inspiring story about how presumptuous Senate staffers can accidentally make history. I didn’t see the article cited, but typically unanimous consent votes are used for almost everything. The government has grown so large that it would literally be impossible to run such a large federal government if every bill came to the floor for debate with senators waxing poetic. So the overwhelming amount of non-controversial stuff is passed this way. It has also becomes an informal tradition that during speechifying time, allowed because every Senator wants to get on TV and the internet making a speech for him or herself, that the Senator will ask for unanimous consent that his pet project passes. However in such cases, it is also customary and courteous to allow notice so that some other Senator can be on the floor to object and the first Senator gets to tell his supports that he introduced a bill and moved its passage. It is pure show. It seems that what happened in this case is when Senator Rubio gave the customary message to the Senate that he planned to do this, Sen. Wicker was the Senator told to show up so he could object. His flight was delayed and Rubio nonetheless held off out of custom to the next day to allow Wicker to be there to object. However, due to some oversight, nobody really told Wicker what he was there for whether it was that or another bill and he personally doesn’t think permanent DST is a big deal and it turns out that neither he nor anyone else on the floor objected, so the bill passed. Sinema was presiding and actually smiled when it passed. So this was just a quirk. The articles talking of impending permanent DST are not recognizing that there is no real unanimous consent in the Senate for this. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/267 "2022-06-05T13:31:22Z")
XKCD offers insight into DST: > **[6/6 Time](https://xkcd.com/2050/)** > > You know how Einstein figured out that the speed of light was constant, and everything else had to change for consistency? My theory is like his, except not smart or good. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/268 "2022-06-05T14:06:01Z")
I do not believe that is a reference to DST. He is talking about ancient Greek and Roman hours. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/269 "2022-06-05T14:08:48Z")
To address the thread title, in the three months since the bill passed the Senate, the House has done absolutely nothing with it. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/270 "2022-06-17T17:48:58Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > I do not believe that is a reference to DST. He is talking about ancient Greek and Roman hours. It’s still relevant to the discussion, though. Before clocks and watches came into widespread use, I’m sure there were arguments over the mechanical regularization of time, just as in the 1800s there were those who objected to the establishment of time zones, and present day debates over DST. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2022, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/271 "2022-06-17T17:49:48Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > To address the thread title, in the three months since the bill passed the Senate, the House has done absolutely nothing with it. I’ve been noticing that. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/272 "2022-08-02T02:09:11Z")
Five months later and the House recessed for the entire month of August, the permanent DST bill has yet to so much as have a hearing. Don’t think this one’s gonna go the distance. . . ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/273 "2022-08-02T02:13:17Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Five months later and the House recessed for the entire month of August, the permanent DST bill has yet to so much as have a hearing. > > Don’t think this one’s gonna go the distance. . . - Maybe they think they can sunset it. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/274 "2022-08-02T02:22:43Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Don’t think this one’s gonna go the distance. . . Did you really expect it to? ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145/275 "2022-08-02T17:03:24Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Maybe they think they can sunset it. I see what you did there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-todays-unanimous-senate-approval-of-a-permanent-dst-bill-mean-its-a-fait-accompli/961145.md?page=13)