Friend --

We need to talk about Daylight Saving Time -- or more precisely, the practice of ending it each November.

First, let me tell you why I'm reaching out about this now. A bipartisan group in Congress is working on the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent and bring an extra hour of sunlight to these late fall and winter afternoons. But to get it across the finish line, we need your help.

Will you add your name to my official petition supporting the Sunshine Protection Act? If it passes, we can "spring forward" next March and never have to turn our clocks back again.

Changing our clocks, like we did a couple weeks ago, forces millions of us to spend a large chunk of our day in the dark. It costs us an hour of sleep each spring. And every fall, it's the bane of parents of young kids across the nation — except in Hawaii and Arizona, the only two states that already run on permanent Daylight Saving Time.

I love Minnesota (even when it gets dark at 4:00 p.m.). But in this particular policy area, I think Hawaii and Arizona have the right idea.

If you agree, now is the time to act. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress support the Sunshine Protection Act, but to get it across the finish line, we need to prove that voters support it, too. Will you show your support today? It only takes a minute.

Thanks for your support,

Dean