It’s almost time to turn the clocks back an hour, marking the end of daylight saving time.
Starting Nov. 5, Americans will get an extra hour of sleep. While extra shut-eye is delightful, 6 in 10 Americans said they want the changing of clocks to stop, according to a YouGov poll from March 2023.
Only 21% said they don’t want to change the current system.
But federal law keeps states from enforcing a permanent daylight saving time. They’re only allowed to stay on permanent standard time, with Hawaii, Arizona and some U.S. territories choosing that option.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has twice introduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which would amend federal law and establish daylight saving time as permanent.
“This ritual of changing time twice a year is stupid. Locking the clock has overwhelming bipartisan and popular support. This Congress, I hope that we can finally get this done,” Rubio said in March.
The proposed legislation passed the Senate unanimously the same month but the momentum was lost in the House. A 2023 version of the bill has not received much attention and faces an uphill battle in Congress.
Utah Rep. Burgess Owens told the Deseret News that while he hasn’t given the bill much thought since last year, he supports it.
“I don’t mind at all keeping the clock the way it is so that I’m not confused when I have to fly back,” he joked about his regular commute to Washington, D.C.
Owens, a Republican who represents Utah’s 4th Congressional District, quickly added that he knew that this was a serious matter. He promised to make the bill a priority and “figure out a way to put that on the floor.”
Convenience stores and golf courses support permanent daylight savings time but those in the scientific community point to some possible negative effects and suggest the adoption of standard time.
“Current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety,” the American Academy of Sleep Medicine said in a statement, arguing that daylight savings time exposes people to less light in the morning and more in the evening.
As The Washington Post reported, conversations about the pros and cons of daylight savings time stalled legislation in the House and led to members of Congress spending time with sleep experts.
“Since the events in Congress last spring around daylight saving time, we have met with the offices of dozens of legislators to discuss restoring permanent standard time, with most of them being open and interested in the issue,” Melissa Clark of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine told the Post.
Keeping standard time would mean more light in the morning and an hour less of sunlight in the evening.
Americans living in different parts of the U.S. would have varied experiences with a change in how the clocks are set. If the U.S. switched to permanent daylight saving time, residents in Michigan would experience the sunrise after 9 a.m. in the winter months while those in New England would enjoy daylight from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
With different industries also favoring different clock settings, this may explain why House lawmakers haven’t yet achieved a consensus on the issue.
David Prerau, author of “Seize the Daylight,” a history of time changes, told the Post that he thinks the “current system is — even with its flaws — better than the alternative.”
He suggested that a public service announcement before the time change could help Americans be aware beforehand.
Contributing: Brigham Tomco