© 2024 MICHIGAN PUBLIC
91.7 Ann Arbor/Detroit 104.1 Grand Rapids 91.3 Port Huron 89.7 Lansing 91.1 Flint
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

These are the states enacting legislation to help make daylight saving time permanent

Mark Brown repairs a clock at Brown's Old Time Clock Shop in Plantation, Florida in 2007.
Joe Raedle
/
Getty Images
Mark Brown repairs a clock at Brown's Old Time Clock Shop in Plantation, Florida in 2007.

As Americans once again adjust to a changed schedule this Sunday, more states this past year joined the group to make daylight saving permanent as soon as the federal government approves it.

Twice a year, millions of Americans — with the exception of those living in Hawaii or Arizona — participate in setting their clocks either backward or forward. But over the years, support for ending a confusing practice that disturbs everyone's schedule continues to grow.

The Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving permanent for the entire nation, remains stalled in Congress. But here's a breakdown of which states are getting ready in anticipation of its passage, according to a tally from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Alabama

In 2021, Alabama legislators, along with Gov. Kay Ivey, passed a bill that would make daylight saving permanent as soon as the federal government also passed a similar measure.

Colorado

In 2022, the Colorado House unanimously passed a bipartisan bill that would make daylight saving permanent as soon as the U.S. government approved a similar measure.

Delaware

Delaware legislators passed a bill that would put the state in the Atlantic Standard Time zone, thereby permanently adopting daylight saving time, so long as the neighboring states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland also did the same.

Florida

In 2018, Florida legislators became the first to pass a bill that would make daylight saving permanent in the state as soon as the federal government also approved the measure.

Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio sponsored the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent for the entire country.

Georgia

In 2021, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also signed a bill into law that would make daylight saving permanent, pending congressional approval.

Idaho

Because the state is divided into two different time zones, legislators signed a measure in 2020 that would make daylight saving time permanent for the northern part of the state so long as the state of Washington did the same.

Kentucky

In 2020, the Kentucky legislature passed a bill that would make daylight saving permanent, pending congressional approval.

Louisiana

In 2020, Louisiana legislators passed a bill that would make daylight saving permanent as soon as the federal government passed a similar measure.

Maine

After a bill that would have pushed the state's clock forward one hour by switching to Atlantic Standard Time failed in 2017, it didn't seem likely that the state would make a change.

Until two years later, when the Maine legislature passed a bill stating that it would immediately adopt daylight saving time year-round, so long as the federal government approves it.

Minnesota

In Minnesota, legislators passed two corresponding House and Senate bills that would make daylight saving permanent in the state following federal approval.

Mississippi

In 2021, the Mississippi legislature passed a bill that would make daylight saving permanent as soon as the federal government enacted a similar measure.

Montana

Similarly to Delaware, Montana legislators passed a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent as soon as several surrounding states do the same.

Ohio

In Ohio, legislators passed a resolution calling on Congress to pass the Sunshine Protection Act.

Oregon

In 2019, the Oregon legislature passed a bill that would make daylight saving time year-round. But one of its counties, Malheur, would be excluded from this change because it is in a different time zone than the rest of the state.

South Carolina

In 2020, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill into law that would make daylight saving permanent so long as the federal government also approved the measure.

Tennessee

In 2019, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that would make daylight saving permanent following similar action from the federal government.

Utah

Utah legislators passed a measure that would make daylight saving time permanent following action from the federal government and similar action in at least four of its surrounding states.

Washington

In 2021, Washington legislators passed a bill that would make daylight saving permanent for the state as soon as the federal government approved it.

Wyoming

Wyoming legislators passed a bill in 2020 that would make daylight saving time permanent for the state so long as Congress approved a federal measure and several of its neighboring states followed suit.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Corrected: November 6, 2022 at 12:00 AM EDT
An earlier version of this story described Kay Ivey as the former governor of Alabama. She is still the state's governor.
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a weekend reporter for Digital News, based out of New York. She previously covered education and other national news as a reporting fellow at The New York Times and as the national education reporter at Capital B News. She interned for POLITICO, where she covered criminal justice reform in Florida, and CNN, as a writer for the trends & culture team. Her work has also been published in The Atlantic, HuffPost and The New Republic.