Don’t forget that Daylight Saving Time will end this coming Sunday morning at 2 a.m. local time for essentially the entire nation — the exceptions include Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa., according to the National Weather Service.
In 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, which standardized the length of Daylight Saving Time. The Energy Policy Act passed in 2005 extended Daylight Saving Time across the nation. Daylight Saving Time will end on the first Sunday in November (1 November 2015) and begin again on the second Sunday in March 2016 (13 March 2016).
In other words, following the old adage of “spring ahead, fall behind”, you will need to turn your clocks back by one hour at 2 a.m. to conform with the local time observance.
On March 15, 2022, just days after clocks were adjusted to “spring forward,” the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, which would abolish clock changes in favor of daylight saving time year-round.
So is daylight saving time becoming permanent or ending permanently any time soon? Not necessarily, as the Sunshine Protection Act still requires approval by the House and President Joe Biden. That didn’t occur with the 2022 version of the bill. But in March 2023, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, reintroduced it to the Senate , with a similar bill also introduced in the House.
Either bill would bring major shifts in our clocks, daylight exposure, and sleep if it were to become law.
Although dozens of states have considered legislation to end clock changes, only federal action can establish permanent daylight saving time in the United States. States may be able to opt out of daylight saving time, choosing permanent standard time. Local governments also can request to change time zones, which the U.S. secretary of transportation must approve.
Here’s what we know about the potential changes to our time changes.
March 6, 2023, UPDATE: Multiple states’ individual legislation to move to permanent daylight saving time stalled out when legislatures turned over. But the first clock change of 2023 likely will bring with it a renewed emphasis on abolishing the time change, with bills pending in states such as Iowa and Texas. Moving to permanent daylight saving time at the state level would require federal action.
