The long-running debate over daylight saving time is back in Washington, and this time lawmakers may be closer than ever to ending the twice-a-year clock change Americans have dealt with for decades.
A congressional committee last week advanced legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, reviving the Sunshine Protection Act and potentially ending the familiar ritual of “springing forward” and “falling back” each year.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the broader measure containing the proposal in a 48-1 vote, according to multiple reports. President Donald Trump publicly backed the effort, calling clock changes expensive, inconvenient, and outdated.
Under the proposal, states that currently observe daylight saving time — including New York — would stop changing clocks twice annually and instead remain on daylight saving time year-round.
That would mean later sunsets during winter months, but darker mornings for part of the year.
The proposal has gained bipartisan support in recent years, though Congress has repeatedly stalled over disagreements about whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time is the better option.
The U.S. Senate previously passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2023, but the legislation never became law.
Supporters argue eliminating clock changes could improve convenience, reduce scheduling disruptions, and potentially benefit businesses and evening activity. Critics, however, have raised concerns about darker winter mornings, particularly for schoolchildren and commuters.
The United States first adopted daylight saving time during World War I as an energy-saving measure. Congress later formalized the current system through the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Some states and U.S. territories already avoid clock changes entirely, including Hawaii and most of Arizona.
If approved by Congress and signed into law, the measure would mark one of the biggest changes to the nation’s timekeeping system in generations.
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