The 3 approaches to daylight saving time considered this year, and what happened to them

(NEXSTAR) – In just a week, our clocks will fall back an hour as daylight saving time comes to an end. With it will come early sunrises and sunsets, and potentially some health benefits.

If some lawmakers had their way, however, the seasonal time change could have looked a lot differently this fall.

The U.S. nearly locked its clocks on permanent daylight saving time after the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act, sending it off to the Senate with support from President Trump. But the Senate adjourned without taking any action and isn’t expected back until after Election Day. (The legislation doesn’t have a “clear path forward,” though, according to Senate Majority Leader John Thune.)

Had the legislation taken effect, daylight saving time could have become permanent this year, and most U.S. clocks — Hawaii and most of Arizona are already on permanent standard time — would not be falling back in November. Several of our Canadian neighbors enacted permanent daylight saving time this year and will not set their clocks back next weekend.

The U.S. could have taken a different approach that would have set the clocks back an hour in November, as usual, but left them there permanently.

In July, the bipartisan “Sunshine for Our Kids Act” was introduced in the House. The bill calls for year-round standard time in the U.S., though it would allow states the option to make daylight saving time permanent, an option not currently available to them without action by Congress.

If standard time were to become permanent, our clocks would not “spring forward” an hour in March. Our winters would feel as they do now, but the sun would rise and set an hour earlier than it currently does in spring, summer, and early fall.

The Sunshine for Our Kids Act was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in July and remains there as of late October.

A third, less common approach to seasonal time change was also suggested this year: “half-daylight saving time.”

Under the Daylight Act of 2026, introduced in the House in February, our clocks would, essentially, fall back 30 minutes in November rather than a full 60 minutes. (If it took effect before March, clocks would spring forward 30 minutes instead of a full 60.) The twice-a-year changing of the clocks would also cease.

While it would be much less drastic than changing by an hour, you would likely notice a difference. Not only would sunrises and sunsets shift, but any international interactions — business, flights, or even crossing the Canadian border while visiting Niagara Falls — would have to account for unusual time zones.

That bill was similarly referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, where it remains as of October.

Also introduced in Congress were two bills that would give states the option to observe year-round daylight saving time, action nearly 20 states have been awaiting. Neither bill progressed out of committee.

For now, our clocks will fall back on the earliest possible date, Nov. 1.