Daylight saving time could become permanent under a bill moving through Congress. See how sunrise and sunset times would change in major U.S. cities and what it means for every state.
to see more of our trusted coverage when you search.stay one hour later than usual if Congress passes a proposal to make daylight saving time permanent, ending the twice-yearly ritual of changing clocks.
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Florida Republican, would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide by repealing the temporary daylight saving period and effectively advancing standard time by one hour. The House Rules Committee took up the bill on July 13 and reported a rule for its consideration by a 6-4 vote, setting up possible House floor action.
If the measure ultimately passes both chambers and is signed by President Donald Trump, and if it takes effect on December 1, most Americans would not “fall back” into standard time during the winter months. Instead, Eastern states would remain on the equivalent of Eastern Daylight Time, Central states on Central Daylight Time, Mountain states on Mountain Daylight Time and Pacific states on Pacific Daylight Time.shift the clockSupporters of permanent daylight saving time argue that ending the clock change would reduce disruption and give Americans more usable daylight in the evening.
Buchanan said in May that Americans are “tired of the biannual time change” and argued that permanent daylight saving time could improve public health, reduce traffic accidents, lower crime and encourage more outdoor activity. But the debate has long been complicated by concerns over darker winter mornings, particularly for schoolchildren and commuters. The United States previously tried year-round daylight saving time during the 1970s energy crisis, but the experiment was cut short amid public concern over dark mornings.
Under current rules, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, when clocks move back one hour to standard time. The National Institute of Standards and Technology describes daylight saving time as the period when clocks are moved one hour ahead, shifting daylight from the morning to the evening. That means the most noticeable effect would come between November and March. In New York and Washington, D.C.
, winter time would move from Eastern Standard Time, or UTC-5, to Eastern Daylight Time, or UTC-4. In Chicago, Dallas and much of the Midwest and South, winter time would move from Central Standard Time, or UTC-6, to Central Daylight Time, or UTC-5. In Denver and Salt Lake City, it would move from Mountain Standard Time, or UTC-7, to Mountain Daylight Time, or UTC-6.
In Los Angeles, Seattle and most of the West Coast, it would move from Pacific Standard Time, or UTC-8, to Pacific Daylight Time, or UTC-7. Most states would be one hour later in winter than they are under current standard time. The main statewide exceptions are Hawaii and most of Arizona, which already. NIST says daylight saving time is not observed in Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona, except for the Navajo Indian Reservation.
In practice, that means Hawaii would remain on Hawaii Standard Time, or UTC-10. Most of Arizona would remain on Mountain Standard Time, or UTC-7, although the Navajo Nation observes daylight saving time and would need to be treated separately in localized reporting. The proposal would also interact with years of state-level efforts to stop clock changes.
The National Conference of State Legislatures says 19 states have enacted measures to provide for year-round daylight saving time if Congress allows it: Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Federal law currently allows states to opt out of daylight saving time and remain on standard time, as Arizona and Hawaii do, but it does not allow states to adopt permanent daylight saving time on their own.
That is why congressional action is needed before those state laws can take effect. The bill still faces several steps before it could become law. Even if the House approves it, the Senate would also need to pass the measure before it could be sent to Trump for his signature. A similar version of the Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate in 2022 but did not become law.
For now, the practical effect is straightforward: if permanent daylight saving time becomes federal law by December, most Americans would keep the later clock setting through winter, while Hawaii and most of Arizona would remain unchanged.
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