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Chamber Committee Approves Bill That Officially Bans Daylight Saving Time in Brazil, Maintaining Only Exceptions in Situations of Energy Crisis, With Arguments About Health Risks and Lack of Energy Economy.
Measure may be allowed in exceptional cases, such as during energy crises
The Chamber of Deputies Committee on Mines and Energy approved a substitute bill that prohibits the adoption of daylight saving time throughout the national territory, formalizing a practice that has been discontinued since 2019.
The text gathers proposals on the subject and allows exceptions only in specific situations, such as energy crises.
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The bill goes to the Committee on Constitution and Justice and Citizenship Committee for review, in a conclusive manner.
What Was Decided
The committee approved the substitute from the Health Committee to the Bill (PL) 397/07, from former deputy Valdir Colatto (SC), which is linked to nine other similar proposals.
The consolidation of these initiatives aims to prevent the reintroduction of clock changes between October and February, the period when the system used to be in effect in the country.
According to the text, the prohibition will be incorporated into Decree 2.784/13, which defines the Brazilian legal time, and Decree-Law 4.295/42, which allows the adoption of “special time” in certain locations and times.
The substitute reinterprets these regulations to generally remove the application of daylight saving time, preserving only exceptional cases.
Reasons Presented by the Deputies
In defending the report, the rapporteur Otto Alencar Filho (PSD-BA) stated that abrupt changes in the clock impact sleep and well-being.
According to him, alterations in the rest cycle can result in daytime drowsiness, nighttime insomnia, fatigue, and irritability.
“The number of people hospitalized with atrial fibrillation, the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia, increases in the days following the time change,” he declared, citing a study conducted by a hospital in the United States.
The report also references technical evaluations from the electricity sector indicating that daylight saving time has lost effectiveness in reducing consumption.
According to cited calculations, changes in demand profiles — with greater use of air conditioning in the afternoon and evening, for example — have diminished the potential for energy savings associated with the time change.
Exception for Crisis Situations
Although it establishes the prohibition as the rule, the report included a controlled loophole.
In scenarios of proven necessity, such as periods of water scarcity that compromise generation at hydroelectric plants or other supply emergencies, the Executive Branch may authorize the adoption of daylight saving time.
This authorization, however, must comply with defined regional and operational criteria to avoid overload on the grid and ensure supply.
The idea is to allow a timely and calibrated response to extraordinary situations, without automatically reinstating the policy nationwide.
Legal Basis and Proposed Adjustments
The substitute modifies Decree 2.784/13, which establishes the official time, and updates the application of Decree-Law 4.295/42, which allows for the establishment of special time “in regions and times of the year convenient to better utilize and increase the availability of electric power.”
The proposed wording shifts the focus from seasonal usage to the priority of stability in the electrical system, restricting the change in time to an emergency tool.
By incorporating these changes into infraconstitutional legislation, the Chamber aims to uniformly clarify that clock changes should not be employed as a routine demand management mechanism.
What Is Needed for It to Become Law
The processing in the Chamber is not yet complete.
The proposal will go through the Committee on Constitution and Justice and Citizenship (CCJ) for conclusive review.
If approved, it will proceed to the Federal Senate.
If there are changes by the senators, it will return to the Chamber; if there are no changes, it will go for sanction or veto by the Presidency of the Republic.
In the meantime, the current situation remains in effect: Brazil has not adopted daylight saving time since 2019, when the policy was interrupted by a decision from the federal Executive.
The vote in the Committee on Mines and Energy seeks to consolidate this reality in the legal framework, making clear the conditions for any potential exceptions.
Context: Why Daylight Saving Time Has Lost Ground
In recent decades, the advancement of air conditioning in residential and commercial settings and the shift of peak consumption to early evening have reduced the historical advantage that justified advancing the clock.
Instead of alleviating maximum demand, in many scenarios the mechanism shifts consumption to times when cooling usage is high, with little benefit to the system.
Moreover, studies cited in the report mention side effects on health, especially in the first days after the transition, as the body adapts to the new time.
The rapporteur argues that these factors, combined, weaken the cost-benefit relationship of the measure in the current context.
Next Political Steps
The assessment in the CCJ will focus on the constitutionality, legality, and legislative technique of the unified text.
Once this stage is overcome, it will be up to the senators to assess whether the broad prohibition with a clause for exception serves the public interest and maintains the balance of the electrical system.
The debate in the Senate is likely to regain recurring arguments: on one side, the potential for fine-tuning in critical situations; on the other, the absence of consistent energy gains and the effects on the biological clock.
Any amendments may specify objective criteria to trigger the exception, such as indicators of water crisis or operational safety parameters defined by the system operator.
Practical Impacts
If approved with no changes, the prohibition of daylight saving time will expressly be included in the cited infralegal legislation, providing legal certainty for sector planners, state governments, and consumers.
The provision for a controlled exception would allow for a swift response to emergencies, provided it is supported by technical criteria and includes a regional cut, when applicable.
In terms of public communication, regulatory clarity is likely to reduce uncertainties that typically arise at the turn of the year, when the adoption of the regime was traditionally debated.
For the population, the general rule would mean stability in the clock throughout the year, with no seasonal changes.
The question that arises is: is the possibility of a technical and localized exception sufficient to meet any emergencies without reopening the door for the widespread return of daylight saving time?
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