||| FROM THE WASHINGTON POST ||| REPRINT AT REQUEST OF ORCASONIAN READER
It took just 14 seconds to approve an order moving Americans’ clocks an hour ahead, permanently. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) rose, requested that S. 623 be “discharged” from the Senate Commerce Committee, which hadn’t approved it, then said: “I ask unanimous consent that the Rubio substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, the bill as amended be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.”
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), the presiding officer, was complicit in the scheme. She quickly declared “without objection, so ordered” and then, in her latest breach of decorum, stage-whispered “yes!” into the microphone and pumped two celebratory fists.
Rubio and Sinema had pulled a fast one. A proposal with only 18 co-sponsors cleared the body in a New York minute. Neither the Democratic whip nor the Republican whip in the Senate knew it was happening. And the Senate has no way to claw back the bill, so it goes to the House — which hopefully will be a bit more deliberative before messing with Father Time.
Reporting by The Post’s Paul Kane and BuzzFeed’s Paul McLeod indicates Sen. Roger Wicker (Miss.), top Republican on the Commerce Committee, had planned to object to the “unanimous consent” request to pass what he calls “bad legislation,” but decided not to at the last minute because he’s focused on more pressing matters, such as the war in Ukraine.
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The author of the opinion piece in the Washington Post, excerpted here, was Dana Milbank. He ought to have been credited.
I don’t care how it was passed in the Senate, the House still has to vote on it and Biden has to sign it. I don’t like, nor trust Rubio or Sinema, but even a blind dog finds a stick every now and then. Washington state passed a bill long ago to move to permanent DST, as have many other states, but we are prevented by the Federal government from doing so. It’s long overdue to get rid of the archaic moving clocks forward and back twice a year. It never really made much sense in the first place and causes untold minor problems for nothing.
When year round daylight savings time was tried before (1974), I remember it being a real mess. It was especially dark going to school, and riding our bikes in the morning was considered unsafe- a terrible blow to sixth grade freedom.
I think year round standard time would have far fewer negative school day/outdoor work day effects. I suppose if they go through with this I will just have to adjust my work hours so I can see.