Will Daylight Saving Time Be Permanent? The Sunshine Protection Act
The push to lock the clocks and stop changing them twice a year — where the law stands and what permanent DST would mean.
For years, a bipartisan chorus has argued that the twice-yearly clock change does more harm than good — disrupting sleep, complicating schedules, and offering little energy benefit. The most prominent US effort to end it is the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent nationwide.
What the Sunshine Protection Act would do
The bill would end the practice of falling back. Instead of toggling between standard time and DST, the country would stay on the 'advanced' time year-round — meaning later sunsets in winter as well as summer. The US Senate passed an earlier version by unanimous consent in March 2022, but it stalled in the House. The bill was reintroduced as H.R. 139, and on July 14, 2026 the House passed it on a bipartisan 309–117 vote with the backing of President Donald Trump — the first time a permanent-DST bill cleared either chamber since 2022. It then moved to the Senate, where it stalled in committee; no floor vote was scheduled before the November 2026 time change.
The case for permanent DST
Supporters point to research linking the spring time change to temporary spikes in heart attacks, traffic accidents, and lost productivity. Permanent DST, they argue, would eliminate those disruptions, give people more evening daylight for outdoor activity and commerce, and reduce seasonal depression for some.
The case against
Critics — including many sleep scientists — prefer permanent standard time, which better matches morning light to the body's natural rhythm. They warn that permanent DST would mean very late winter sunrises in northern states, forcing kids to walk to school or bus stops in darkness. The US tried year-round DST in 1974 during the energy crisis and abandoned it amid public backlash over exactly those dark mornings.
Both sides agree on one thing: most people would prefer to stop changing the clocks. The disagreement is about which clock to keep.
Where it stands now
Nineteen states have passed laws to adopt permanent DST the moment Congress authorizes it, and in March 2026 Canada's province of British Columbia adopted permanent year-round DST. But until the Senate acts on H.R. 139 or a successor, those state laws cannot take effect, and the twice-yearly ritual continues. For now, the countdown to each spring forward and fall back rolls on.
Keep track of the next time change
Watch the clock count down to the next Daylight Saving Time transition in real time.