Daylight savings ends in November. Why is it still around?
At 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, most of the country will set their clocks back an hour and likely lose an hour of sleep.
The time shift, also referred to as “spring forward, fall back,” causes sleep disruption for Americans and requires some to manually correct clocks to the appropriate hour.
For those frustrated by the biannual shifts, there is hope as legislation has been introduced to prevent the end of daylight savings.
The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022. Introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, the act would permanently extend daylight saving time for the entire year. However, the measure has not yet been signed into law by President Joe Biden as it hasn't yet been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, where it was "held at the desk."
Below are some commonly asked questions about the time shift.
When did federal time changes start?
The Standard Time Act of 1918 was the first law to implement standard and daylight saving times at the federal level.
"Federal oversight of time zones began in 1918 with the enactment of the Standard Time Act, which vested the Interstate Commerce Commission with the responsibility for establishing boundaries between the standard time zones in the U.S.," according to The U.S. Department of Transportation. "This responsibility was transferred from the Interstate Commerce Commission to DOT when Congress created DOT in 1966."
When was daylight saving time 2023?
This year's daylight saving time began at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12.
When is daylight saving time 2024?
After ending this November, daylight saving time will return at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, 2024, and last until Sunday, Nov. 3, two days before the 2024 election.
Who is in charge of daylight saving time?
The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the observance of daylight saving time as well as U.S. time zones, according to transportation.gov. The DOT said energy reduction and reduced crime are reasons for having both standard and daylight saving time.
Which states don't observe daylight saving time?
Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize daylight savings time as well as territories Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.
How many countries observe daylight saving time?
More than 70 countries in the world observe daylight saving time, however the start and end dates can differ.
Less than 40% of countries globally still observe daylight savings time switches, despite over 140 countries implementing them previously, according to Statistica.