It’s that time of the year again, when we “fall back” one hour, ending daylight saving time and returning to standard time and thus igniting the semi-annual debate.
Do we proceed with the current standards and switch the clocks biannually in 48 of the 50 states? Or do we establish one standard and end this shifting of time?
19 states say yes, end the shifting and establish permanent daylight saving time. Federal law says no, and thus the debate continues.
Why we change the clocks
The United States began the concept of daylight saving time in 1918, during World War I, to save fuel. The thought was that by advancing one hour ahead, coal-fired energy would assist the war effort rather than that hour at home.
Standard time returned following the war and continued until World War II. After World War II, some states and even cities kept daylight saving time, creating various time zones within regions. Frustrated with no uniform time, the public pushed Congress to pass the Uniform Time Act in 1966.
This established the time frame for daylight saving time would begin the last Sunday in April and end the last Sunday in October.
In 1987, it extended to include the first Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October.
Part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the modern daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
This current time shift began in 2007, but this practice, according to millions of Americans, is outdated.
Not every state changes the clocks
The law passed by Congress in 1966 allows states to opt out of observing daylight saving and stay in standard time year-round but not the other way around. Two states, Arizona and Hawaii, along with multiple U.S. territories have done so and thus stay in standard time the full year.
Hawaii doesn’t take part because of its location. With not much variation throughout the year between sunrise and sunset, it made little sense to switch the clocks.
Only the Navajo Nation in Arizona observes daylight saving time. The rest of the state exempted itself in 1968.
They cited the heat as their reason for opting out, adding that if they switched the clocks ahead one hour, the sun would not set until 9 p.m. in the summer, limiting nighttime activities.
President Trump’s feelings on time change
Even President Trump sees it from both sides of the debate.
“The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our nation,” he wrote on his social media back on Dec. 13, 2024.
However, his Truth Social post in April boasted something completely different.
A hearing convened in April by the Senate Commerce Committee was debating this issue. Trump’s endorsement might help settle the debate for lawmakers.
Sunshine Protection Act and its opponents
On March 15, 2022, the U.S. Senate voted unanimously in favor of the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, meaning Americans would no longer have to change their clocks twice a year to account for the time change.
While the Senate passed the bill, three and a half years later it remains stalled in the House and has not been signed into law by President Trump.
Not everyone agrees with eliminating standard time.
Earlier this week, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton was on hand to thwart a bipartisan effort on the chamber floor to pass a bill establishing permanent daylight saving time.
“If permanent Daylight Savings Time becomes the law of the land, it will again make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans,” said Cotton in his objection to a request by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) to advance the bill by unanimous consent.
Adding, “For many Arkansans, permanent daylight savings time would mean the sun wouldn’t rise until after 8:00 or even 8:30 a.m. during the dead of winter,” Emphasizing, “The darkness of permanent savings time would be especially harmful for school children and working Americans.”
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) called for the Senate to pass the bill this week, citing states’ rights as a major reason for his support for the so-called “Sunshine Protection Act.”
“It allows the people of each state to choose what best fits their needs and the needs of their families,” said Scott. “The American people are sick and tired of changing their clocks twice a year. It’s confusing, unnecessary and completely outdated.”
Cotton strengthened his argument by bringing up the “abject failure” of the last time Congress enacted permanent daylight saving time in 1974, pledging to always oppose legislation that would do just that.
Vote in Live Poll: Cancel daylight saving time or stay on it permanently?
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