At 2 a.m. on Nov. 5 most of the country will set their clocks back one hour saying good-bye to Daylight Saving Time, but many also thought the time change was going to become permanent after a bill was introduced in 2022.
The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from just eight months to the full year. The bill was first introduced in January 2021 by Rep. Vern Buchanan and then re-introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio and seven other bipartisan members of Congress in March 2022. To become law it would have to be passed by the House and signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill was “held at the desk,” which means they never voted on it according to congress.gov.
On March 1, 2023 Rubio’s bill was referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. An identical bill by Buchanan was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce the same day, then went to subcommittee on March 10.
The delay in passage stems from debate on which time should be permanent. The bill makes daylight saving time permanent eliminating the need to change clocks twice a year. Those arguing again DST insist standard time is the safer option.
The Standard Time Act of 1918 was the first law to implement standard and daylight saving times at the federal level. It was seen as a way to add another hour of daylight to the evenings. There also are arguments it helps farmers and saves energy.
The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the observance of daylight saving time as well as U.S. time zones. Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize daylight saving time.
More than 70 countries in the world observe daylight saving time, however the start and end dates may differ. Less than 40% of countries across the globe still observe daylight saving time changes, despite more than 140 countries implementing them previously according to statista.com.
With the time period still in place remember to change your clocks before going to bed Saturday night so you won’t be late on Sunday.