Sunday is the semi-annual clock change, but it could be the last time we “fall back” if legislation is passed to make daylight saving time permanent. The big picture: The U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Daylight Savings Act in March, a move that could make daylight saving time permanent in 2023, but the bill has not passed the House. Why it matters: Health groups have called for an end to the seasonal clock change, a ritual first adopted in the US more than a century ago, Axios’ Sophia Cai and Andrew Solender report. Context: A new study in the journal Current Biology predicts that year-round daylight saving time could prevent 36,550 deer deaths, 33 human deaths, 2,054 human injuries and $1.19 billion in collision costs annually. What time to change the clock Details: Sunday morning at 2 a.m. is considered the official time to set clocks to standard time, but many will change the time on their devices before going to bed on Saturday.
Daylight saving time is scheduled to return on Sunday, March 12, even if the legislation passes.
Meanwhile, daylight saving time operated from April to October, but the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended daylight saving time by about four weeks from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. The push to make summertime permanent The Sunshine Protection Act — a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (DR.I.) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — passed unanimously in mid-March.
If the legislation passes the House and is signed into law by President Biden, it will mean that Americans will no longer have to change their clocks twice a year.
Flashback: In the 1970s — the last time Congress made daylight saving time permanent — the decision was reversed less than a year after morning darkness proved dangerous for school children and changed public sentiment. states with daylight saving time resolutions By the numbers: 19 states have already enacted legislation or passed resolutions for year-round daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Florida was the first to pass legislation in 2018, and Colorado moved forward with permanent daylight saving earlier this year. Other states that have taken action are: Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. California voters approved the Proposition 7 ballot initiative in 2018, but legislative action has not materialized.
Yes, but: Federal law says states can unilaterally move to daylight saving time, but they must get congressional approval to adopt daylight saving time year-round, reports Christine Clarridge for Axios Seattle. What we’re watching: Minnesota State Rep. Mike Freiberg (DFL-Golden Valley) told Axios he plans to revive state legislation next session to switch to standard time, perhaps in 2024. What it would mean: If passed in Minnesota, winter would feel the same, but the sun would rise — and set — an hour earlier in the summer, Axios’ Torey Van Oot reports.
“Personally, I just want to get rid of the clock changes,” Freiberg said of his multi-year mission. “I don’t care where we go.”
States with permanent standard time and not daylight saving time Hawaii and Arizona do not observe daylight saving time with the exception of the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona.
US territories, including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands, observe permanent standard time.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional context about the Minnesota State representative. Mike Freiberg plans to ask the state legislature to consider converting to a standard time change. More from Axios:
