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Many people do NOT love changing their clocks, even if our digital overlords handle it for us these days. So, those people may not like this:
We just “fell back” and gained an hour this weekend . . . but there’s a decent chance there could be ANOTHER time change, where we give it back to “spring forward” . . . THIS MONTH. Yes, in November.
Here’s why: As you probably know, the government has been debating nixing time changes FOR YEARS . . . and it has bipartisan support.
The latest initiative, the Sunshine Protection Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives (308 to 117) last summer . . . but stalled out in the Senate.
What’s the problem? The bill makes “Daylight Saving Time” the new, permanent standard time. And even though a LOT of people hate changing their clocks . . . there’s a fierce debate over WHAT time we keep.
A few days ago, President Trump demanded that the Senate make the “Sunshine Protection Act” a priority . . . and pass it, ASAP.
If that happens, the legislation calls for an “immediate” adoption of year-round Daylight Saving Time. So, we would be required to “spring forward” right away, even in November, to our new permanent time.
Trump has a slim Republican majority in the Senate, but the problem is: It’s not a party-line issue. Trump and others like it how the bill was written, with more light in the late afternoon and evening.
Many Republicans (especially Senator Tom Cotton) want Standard Time to be the permanent time, because they say it’s too dangerous for kids to go to school in the “pitch dark,” and want the light to come in the earlier hours.
If this impasse continues, we may be alternating times forever, because if it doesn’t pass before the end of the year, the bill will expire. There will be a new Congress in 2027, and the process would have to start all over.
For what it’s worth, according to one recent poll, 56% of Americans said they would prefer year-round Daylight Saving Time, with more light in the evening and less in the morning, while 42% want year-round Standard Time, with more light in the morning and less at night.
