Reps. Tom McClintock (R-El Dorado Hills) and Adam Gray (D-Merced) voted in favor of House Resolution 139.

The measure, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, passed by 308-117. It would put the country permanently on Daylight Savings Time – the time currently observed from March to November – unless a state exempted itself before the act could take effect.

McClintock issued the following statement on the bill:

“This bill ends the pointless time change that has plagued our country for more than a century, and makes Daylight Savings Time permanent,” he said. “I would much prefer to see us shift to Standard Time, which centers noon at the sun’s apex – thus avoiding driving to work or school in the dark during winter months. Daylight Time was once tried and abandoned for this reason. But whether Daylight or Standard Time, getting rid of the annoying spring-ahead-fall-back nonsense is a good thing.”

Both McClintock (5th Congressional District) and Gray (13th Congressional District) represent portions of Turlock.

The bill now moves over to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate.

A different version of the bill stalled in the upper chamber last year when Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) objected to bill’s passage via unanimous consent.

Cotton warned that a permanent shift to daylight savings time would mean the sun wouldn’t rise until 9 a.m. or later for parts of the nation.

President Richard Nixon signed a bill into law that would have made daylight savings time the norm for two years to conserve energy during the oil crisis, but the legislation was quickly repealed, as Americans disapproved of the dark early mornings.

Gray renews effort to secure emergency relieve for specialty crop growers

Rep. Adam Gray (D-Merced) is part of an effort to help ensure Central Valley specialty crop growers receive the emergency assistance they need as farmers face rising costs, labor shortages, and increasing economic uncertainty.

In a letter sent to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, Gray and a group of 23 other lawmakers from across the country – all Democrats – called for at least $15 billion in emergency assistance to be dedicated to specialty crop producers.

The letter outlines the unique challenges and structural disadvantages facing specialty crop producers and underscores the need to provide equitable economic relief to these growers across the country.

“America’s specialty crop industry is essential to our nation’s food security, rural economies, and agricultural competitiveness,” the letter said. “Providing dedicated emergency assistance will help preserve domestic production, strengthen supply chains, and sustain the family farms and agricultural jobs that provide consumers with safe, healthy, American-grown fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops, floriculture, and other specialty crops.”

This was Gray’s latest effort to make sure Central Valley specialty crop growers receive the support they need. Previously, the freshman congressman played a role in moving the bipartisan Farm Bill through the Agriculture Committee before it pass a vote before the full house.