What to Know
- The Sunshine Protection Act would make daylight saving time the new permanent time (no more time change)
- The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the legislation in March 2022, then allowed the bill to expire
- Sen. Marco Rubio then reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023. The act has not had significant updates since 2023
- California Sen. Niello introduced legislation to establish standard time year-round in the state. That bill has been working its way through several committees.
Yes, the sun is setting earlier. And now, the sun is about to set one hour sooner, thanks to daylight saving time.
But first - as daylight saving time can be confusing, it's important to note that in most of the U.S., it starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
So Americans in every state except for Hawaii and Arizona will be moving their clocks an hour back on Sunday, Nov. 3 at 2 a.m. At that point, time will automatically move backward to 1 a.m.
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The hours of sunlight have been steadily dwindling since the Summer Solstice (the first official day of summer). On the evening of Nov. 3, the sun will set as early as 4:55 p.m., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Why do we change the clocks twice a year?
When you wake up on that Sunday at 2 a.m., yawn, adjust your sleeping cap, and wind the long hand back an hour, you might wonder: Why are we still doing this?
Here's why.
If you're vaguely remembering something about a bill to stop the time change and make it permanent, it's not just your sleep-deprived brain talking.
The twice-yearly changing of the clocks is a ritual that's quite unpopular. Plenty of states have introduced legislation to provide year-round daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Here's an update on the battle to end it.
Talkin' Time
The battle to make daylight saving time permanent
Back in March 2022, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the "Sunshine Protection Act" introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., that would have made daylight saving time permanent starting in November 2023, which means Americans would stop switching their clocks back or forward twice a year, according to NBC News.
That bill was stalled in the House and it expired.
However, Sen. Rubio reintroduced the "Sunshine Protection Act of 2023" in March 2023 to make daylight saving time permanent across the nation. It hasn't had significant updates since then.
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla. also introduced a bill in the House to make daylight saving time permanent, according to NBC News.
Senators from various states are all original cosponsors of Sen. Rubio's legislation, including California Sen. Alex Padilla and the late Dianne Feinstein.
The House of Representatives must first pass the bill, then the president must sign it before Americans can kiss the time change goodbye.
A study published in Cell Press in 2020 found that springing forward each year increases the risk of fatal traffic accidents by 6%. The University of Michigan found a 24% increase in the number of heart attacks that occurred on the Monday just after the time switch, compared to other Mondays.
Didn't Californians vote to remove daylight saving time in 2020?
Yes, Californians did. So why are we still changing our clocks then?
San Diego denizens might remember voting on California's Proposition 7 in 2018.
That proposition passed by nearly 60% of the vote, giving the California Legislature the ability to change daylight saving time, according to Ballotpedia.
Proposition 7 didn't actually change daylight saving time, it just gave the California State Legislature the ability to actually change it, IF they earn a two-thirds majority vote on it (from both the California State Assembly and California State Senate) and then IF the federal government already allows it.
However — states are allowed to make standard time year-round.
That's exactly what California Republican Sen. Roger Niello of Roseville (near Sacramento) intended to do by legislating SB 1413 earlier in 2024, according to CalMatters.
The bill was passed by the California State Senate on May 23, then passed to the Assembly where it has been working its way through several committees, most recently the Assembly Rules Committee.
Standard time is a better fit for the human biological clock, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Would removing the time change do anything?
Maybe. Maybe not! In the mid-70s, the U.S. had year-round daylight saving time, but that quickly became unpopular and was reversed.
Regardless of time change laws, the earth is still tilted on its axis at an average of 23.5 degrees, according to NOAA. That tilt is responsible for seasonal changes and thus the amount of sunlight you get where you live. Your location on the earth also affects how much sunlight you'll get in a year. Generally, the closer you are to the equator, the more sunlight you'll get throughout the year, NOAA says.
If you REALLY don't like DST, it might be worth considering moving close to the equator, where seasonal changes have little effect on the duration of daylight, according to NOAA.
Can my state opt out of daylight saving time?
States are actually allowed to opt out of DST and remain in standard time year-round (as Hawaii and Arizona have done). But, they are not allowed to establish DST year-round, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
Where did daylight saving time come from?
Close to the end of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Standard Time Act into law, putting daylight saving time into effect for the first time in the U.S. in March of 1918, according to the Library of Congress. The move was intended to save energy costs during WWI.
About one year later, the law was repealed due to the war's end.
In World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt instituted a year-round daylight saying time in February 1942 he called "war time." That DST lasted until Sept. 30, 1945.
When the Uniform Time Act was passed in 1966, standard time was mandated across the country within established time zones. However, states could still opt out.
When the 1973 oil embargo hit, America needed to conserve energy. Thus, President Richard Nixon signed year-round DST (the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act) into law, hoping to ease the national gas crisis.
Congress enacted a trial period of all-year DST from January 1974 to April 1975.
The time change was unpopular. Eight Florida children died in traffic accidents that were linked to the time change, according to NBC News.
Permanent daylight saving time was reversed in October 1974 by President Gerald Ford.
