Permanent daylight saving time: 19 states poised to make end time change if Congress acts

NewsIn all, state legislatures have considered over 800 bills and resolutions in recent years to establish year-round daylight saving time as soon as federal law allows it.APIf Congress gives its OK to the Sunshine Protection Act – and that’s a big “if” – 19 states are poised to enact permanent daylight saving time.The Sunshine Protection Act would allow states to opt out of standard time and move to permanent DST. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 stipulates that states can remain on standard time year-round but are federally prohibited from permanently observing DST without Congressional action. Presently, only Hawaii and most of Arizona observe standard time all year.READ MORE: When do clocks ‘fall back’ in 2026? The latest on daylight saving timeCurrently, we move clocks ahead an hour on the second Sunday in March to mark the start of DST. Clocks fall back an hour on the first Sunday in November (Nov. 1 in 2026), shifting more daylight hours into the morning and away from the afternoon.READ MORE: Latest daylight saving time poll: Here’s what people think about changing time twice a year19 states ready to make the changeNineteen states have proactively passed resolutions that will allow them to move to permanent DST if Congress gives its OK, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In all, state legislatures have considered over 800 bills and resolutions in recent years to establish year-round daylight saving time as soon as federal law allows it.According to the NCSL, the 19 states and dates of adoption are:Texas (2025)Oklahoma (2024)Colorado (2022)Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana (2021)Idaho (Pacific time zone only), Louisiana, South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming (2020)Delaware, Maine, Oregon (Pacific time zone only)Tennessee and Washington (2019)Florida (2018)The impact of doing away with the twice-yearly time change would vary from state to state.The clear winners, according to the report, were in the South, particularly Florida, Texas, much of the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Florida in particular would see a big boost with later winter sunsets leading to increased beach visits, outdoor dining, theme park and retail activity, the report showed.Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana would also gain from longer usable afternoons and later winter sunsets, according to the analysis.The opposite would be true in the North, where residents would face dark winter mornings with the sun rising much later than usual. For example, Maine wouldn’t see the sun rise until nearly 8 a.m., with it setting just after 5 p.m. in the winter. Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota face similar issues involving dark winter mornings.Leada Gore is a Senior Managing Producer for the Advance Local trending team, covering finance, government and consumer issues. She worked as a Managing Producer for AL.com, starting at the site in 2013 as the...