(NexStar) – While it might be hard to picture those chilly, dark November nights in the heat of August, it’s surprising how quickly they approach.
This means that the countdown to that two-person tradition—either appreciating it or just forgetting about it—is almost upon us again: the switch for daylight saving time.
There’s no need to rush to mark your calendar yet; we still have a few weeks until November 2nd. Yet, not long ago, it seemed like the U.S. might consider treating it like any other Sunday.
In recent months, various bills aiming to “lock the clock” have been introduced. Even President Donald Trump has weighed in on this debate. Unfortunately, the proposed legislation has stalled, resulting in the need to revert the clocks back an hour in most states.
What does the future hold for the annual clock changes in the U.S.? So far, not much has changed.
More than a century ago, the U.S. briefly adopted a permanent daylight saving time during World War II, without the usual clock reversal. This measure was short-lived, leading states and cities to make their own calls on the time without much direction.
When Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, it introduced some order to the chaos by officially recognizing daylight saving time and standard time. Later attempts to maintain permanent daylight saving time during the energy crisis didn’t stick, and since the mid-1970s, most of us have been adjusting our clocks twice a year.
Recent efforts, primarily driven by lawmakers from Florida, focus on reinstating permanent daylight saving time, a move that some health experts caution against. In the past few years, there have been bipartisan bills in both the Senate and House supporting this change, but they’ve yet to advance.
This April, a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing to discuss the country’s yearly clock adjustments. Various witnesses presented perspectives on either keeping the clock changing or switching to a permanent time. While the bill gained momentum in committee, it still requires some revisions, as per a spokesperson.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) noted that every year, Americans become weary of changing their clocks twice. It’s a dated practice that many find more annoying than beneficial for family life. Alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), he introduced the Sunshine Protection Act, also supported by Representative Vern Buchanan (R-FL) in the House. Scott emphasized the pressing need for Congress to pass this bill to ensure that daylight saving time becomes a permanent fixture.
Buchanan echoed these sentiments, stating that a growing public demand exists to eliminate the biannual clock changes. He expressed optimism about ongoing discussions with House leadership and the potential for the bill to gain traction.
Meanwhile, some states have started taking their own steps, enacting laws for permanent daylight saving time, although this typically requires approval from local councils.
Currently, only two states stick to standard time year-round as permitted by the Unified Time Act of 1966. Most states leaning towards permanent daylight saving time have initiated or passed measures that bind their choices to federal action. This means they would adopt permanent daylight savings based on decisions made by their legislature or in neighboring states.
A House bill has been proposed, allowing states to maintain daylight saving time throughout the year. This legislation is currently under consideration in committee.
Conversely, several states have put forth bills aimed at establishing permanent standard time or at exempting themselves from daylight saving. Bills from Arkansas, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia have failed to pass this year.
Attempts in Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia to establish permanent daylight saving time also did not succeed.
Other states, such as Michigan, New Hampshire, and New Mexico, have not actively pursued clock-lock legislation recently, and there haven’t been any related proposals in the District of Columbia or Rhode Island over the past five years.
Regardless of local laws, it seems most of us are still gearing up to lose an hour of sleep when daylight saving time ends on November 2nd.
