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    • States are pushing for legislation to end the time change
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    States are pushing for legislation to end the time change

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    It's that time again. On Sunday, most Americans will turn their clocks back an hour and many will renew their twice-yearly phone calls to put an end to the practice.

    On November 3rd, those who have switched to daylight saving time in the last eight months will “fall back” and gain an hour of sleep. Early risers get an earlier sunrise, but that also means the sun sets an hour earlier.

    For years, the beginning and end of summer time have been accompanied by repeated calls to end the time change completely. Daylight saving time is observed in all but two US states. Some states want to make it permanent, while others have decided to make standard time permanent.

    The result is a confusing patchwork of legislative proposals, but no real change because the federal government won't allow it yet. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida reiterated his call this week to pass a bill he has introduced that would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. The Sunshine Protect Act passed the Senate in 2022 but has made no progress in the House despite being introduced in multiple legislative sessions.

    “It’s time to stop the clock and end the ridiculous and antiquated practice of turning our clocks back and forth,” Rubio said.

    Experts say the time change is harmful to health and safety, but agree the answer is not permanent daylight saving time.

    “The medical and scientific community agrees … that permanent standard time is better for human health,” said Erik Herzog, a professor of biology and neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and former president of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms.

    Most Americans would prefer to abolish the time change. According to an October 2021 Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, about 43% want year-round standard time, 32% want permanent daylight saving time and 25% want to stay with the status quo. For now, and at least for the near future, most Americans will continue to contend with the unsettling time changes that occur about twice a year.

    Here's how things stand:

    Which countries want to abolish the time change?

    No state can adopt permanent daylight saving time unless the U.S. Congress first passes a law authorizing it. But several states have passed or are considering legislation to make the switch if or when Congress takes up the idea.

    According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, states have debated hundreds of daylight saving time bills in recent years, including 30 in 2024.

    Oklahoma became the latest state to pass a measure in April allowing permanent daylight saving time, pending congressional approval.

    According to NCSL, nineteen other states have passed laws or resolutions to switch to daylight saving time year-round, should Congress ever allow it. These are: Colorado, Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Wyoming, Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Florida. In California, voters approved a ballot initiative that would allow their legislature to pass such a law.

    Some of these states made the provision conditional on neighboring states doing the same. Idaho, which is divided into two different time zones, passed a measure that would require the northern part of the state to switch to daylight saving time only if neighboring Washington does. Delaware's law would require daylight saving time year-round only if Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland also do so, Delaware Public Media reported.

    RECOVER: Summer time ends here in 2024

    Why don't Arizona and Hawaii change their clocks?

    Only two states and some territories never have to set their clocks forward or back.

    Federal law prohibits states from adopting permanent daylight saving time, but Arizona (with the exception of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii have instead permanently adopted standard time, which is perfectly acceptable under federal law.

    So why don't states that care so much about ending time changes simply adopt permanent standard time? Rubio and other proponents of a permanent daylight saving time policy argue that benefits include more time for outdoor activities or work in the evenings, as well as energy savings. Many experts agree that time changes lead to health problems and even safety issues.

    Changing the clock can be harmful to your health

    Herzog said the time changes disrupt the body's circadian rhythm, which is like our internal clock. It's harder for us to jump forward an hour in March than to fall back in November. The spring shift coincides with an increase in heart attacks, and car accident rates also rise a few days afterward, he said.

    But according to Herzog, the answer is not permanent daylight saving time, which could be even worse for human health than the biannual change. By looking at studies of people living on the easternmost edge of time zones (whose experience is closest to standard time) and people living on the westernmost edge (more like daylight saving time), scientists can find that earlier sunrises and earlier sunrises Impact on health Sunsets are much better. Waking up naturally with the sun is far better for our bodies than having to rely on alarm clocks to wake up in the dark, he said.

    Herzog said Florida, where Rubio has championed the Sunlight Protection Act, is much less affected by the negative effects of daylight saving time because it is as far east and south as it can get in the U.S., while people in one state like Minnesota, a lot less of them would have more time in the dark in the morning.

    “Florida figures that if you have a few hours of daylight after work, you can get more people golfing in the afternoon,” he said.

    Permanent daylight saving time has not worked well in the past

    We've had daylight saving time for more than eight months straight, and it hasn't been a great success.

    From February 1942 to September 1945, the United States experienced the so-called “wartime” when Congress decided to implement year-round daylight saving time during the war to save fuel. After it ended, states were free to set their own standard time until Congress finally passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966, which standardized national time.

    Amid an energy crisis in 1973, former President Richard Nixon signed a bill that moved the U.S. to daylight saving time starting in January 1974. While the American public initially liked the idea, the experiment soon ran afoul of public opinion. The New York Times reported in October 1974. Sunrises, which in some places could not occur until 9:30 a.m. in the winter, were becoming increasingly unpopular. It didn't take long for Congress to change course in October 1974.

    Contributor: Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY

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    Kathleen William
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