Daylight Saving Time Approaches

With school back in session, NFL games filling the screens, and leaves beginning to change, it’s clear autumn is just around the corner. This shift also signals the end of daylight saving time.

This year, clocks will fall back an hour on November 2nd, marking what is the second earliest date for this change in recent memory. Many lawmakers at both state and federal levels express their frustration over this biannual clock change.

Some legislators have gone as far as to pass laws aiming for year-round daylight saving time. However, there’s a significant hurdle: Congress is still in control of any changes to the system.

Although states can decide to maintain a consistent clock, federal regulations only permit a switch to standard time on a year-round basis. States like Hawaii and Arizona (with a few exceptions) have already opted out of the clock changes.

Currently, ten states have passed legislation to adopt daylight saving time permanently, contingent upon federal approval. Florida pioneered this effort in 2018. Following its lead, Delaware attempted in 2019 to establish a similar arrangement, but only under the condition that nearby states like Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania joined in. So far, none of these locales have successfully made the switch.

In Wyoming, a similar approach was taken in 2020, proposing to change only if its neighbors followed suit. As of now, Colorado appears to be the only neighboring state making strides in this direction.

Other states pushing for year-round daylight saving time include Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, with Texas and Maine joining the ranks recently.

California voters previously granted permission in 2018 to make the change, but this has yet to materialize.

This year, multiple bills were also introduced across the country, some advocating for a permanent standard time instead. Most of these efforts are currently stalled.

In Congress, four bills addressing daylight saving time have been brought forward this session. Two companion bills suggest keeping daylight saving time year-round across the nation, while the remaining bills would empower individual states to decide their approach to daylight saving time. All of them are currently in committee for review.

So, what does all this mean for the average person? Unless you happen to be in Hawaii or most of Arizona, you’ll likely find yourself gaining an extra hour of sleep on November 2nd.