Lock the clock: Here’s where each state stands on making daylight saving time permanent

WASHINGTON — The end of daylight saving time is slowly creeping up on Americans as cooler temperatures set in and earlier sunsets take place. 

Starting on Sunday, Nov. 3, American clocks will “fall back” an hour at 2 a.m. — resulting in an extra hour of sleep. 

Only two U.S. states, Arizona and Hawaii, don’t observe daylight saving time at all, refusing to roll their clocks forward and backward every year. But Hawaii and Arizona are outliers, relying on a loophole in a 58-year-old federal law that requires states to stay on daylight saving time. 

That’s right, Congress decides if we can have that extra hour of sleep. 

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 mandates the country use daylight saving time, but allows states to opt out and exempt themselves from the practice to stay on standard time year-round. It does not allow states to permanently establish daylight saving time, which would keep them an hour ahead from November to March while other states switch to standard time.

Many states have passed measures to stay on daylight saving time permanently — a move that some have called “lock the clock.” For some states, they’re willing to go forward with it as long as a few of their neighbors do the same.

In the last five years, 19 states have passed legislation or resolutions supporting year-round daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2024, at least 30 states considered or are considering legislation related to daylight saving time. 

There’s even been a suggestion that some states leave the eastern time zone entirely and adopt a new one used by parts of Canada and a couple U.S. territories. Other efforts aim to keep states in standard time year-round, avoiding the pesky time change twice a year.

But none of those bills or laws can take effect until there is a federal repeal of the congressional act. In essence, Congress needs to change the law in order for the U.S. to stop using daylight saving time.

There have been efforts on the congressional level to make this change.

For the past few years, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida has introduced a version of what he calls the “Sunshine Protection Act,” which would permanently establish daylight saving time for the whole country. The bills, however, usually die before they ever come close to becoming law. 

Back in 2022, the U.S. Senate passed a version of that bill but it was never voted on by the House of Representatives. 

With efforts from the 2023 session failing to advance, Americans will continue to “spring forward” and “fall back” until further notice.

Here is where each state stands in the effort to move to daylight saving time all year long, though Congress would need to act before states that have enacted laws can make the change.

In May 2021, Alabama passed an act that would have the state permanently observe daylight saving time. That bill is still waiting on a federal repeal of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 to take effect.

For the last couple years Alaska has introduced a bill to recognize daylight saving year-round if Congress makes the move by 2030. The bill, usually filed by State Rep. Dan Ortiz, never really makes it out of committee. 

In 2023, Rep. Allard introduced House Bill 284, a sister bill of Ortiz’ measure. The died in committee after little to no progress.

Allard’s bill would have made the state exempt from daylight saving time until Congress allows for it to be year-round. If it were to pass, Alaska would stay on standard time throughout the year, without changing its clock bi-annually. 

Ortiz reintroduced his bill in 2023 but it was withdrawn in April this year. 

A senate bill by the State Affairs Committee was also introduced into the 2024 session. Unlike the House bills, this measure would exempt the state from daylight saving time. Senate Bill 184 also died in committee. 

Even if it did pass, Alaska might not see the benefits other states could from ending daylight saving time. According to Alaska Public Media, it could make winters darker in the northernmost U.S. state. 

“Nome would have a sunrise after 1pm,” Brian Brettschneider, a climatologist in Anchorage, told APM. 

Arizona is one of the more well-known examples of states not following daylight saving time. Instead, the state observes Mountain Standard Time year-round. But the Navajo Nation, which is partially in Arizona, does observe DST.

That means from March to November every year, Navajo Nation is an hour ahead of the rest of the state of Arizona. 

In Dec. 2022, State Rep. Johnny Rye introduced a bill to the Arkansas House which would adopt year-round DST. But on Jan. 9, 2023, he withdrew the bill and recommended its effects be studied by a committee on governmental affairs. 

Rye tried to pass a similar bill in 2020. That bill passed the House 71-24 and made it to the Senate committee of State Agencies and Government Affairs, but it failed to pass during the legislative session. 

In March 2023, State Rep. Stephen Meeks introduced a bill to the Arkansas House to adopt standard time year round, eliminating daylight saving time. The effort failed in the House and was withdrawn. 

In 2018, voters approved a proposition allowing the state legislature to pass legislation that would put California on permanent DST. Several legislators, most recently California Assembly member Steven Choi, have attempted to pass such a bill. But each time, the legislation has either been pulled or has died in committee. 

In early 2024, California Assemblyman Tri Ta and Senator Roger Niello introduced legislation to observe standard time year-round. The measures were referred to committee where they haven’t seen any progress.

Colorado is another state waiting on the federal government to enact permanent DST. In 2022, after years of failed attempts, the Colorado General Assembly passed a bipartisan bill that would make daylight saving permanent once the Uniform Time Act of 1966 is repealed or if four other Mountain Standard Time Zone states also enacted legislation making daylight saving time permanent.

Two bills in 2021 were introduced into the state legislature, both of which would have had Connecticut adopt Atlantic Standard Time (AST), dropping DST similarly to Arizona or Hawaii. But neither bill made it to a vote, leaving any time-related legislation in limbo. 

Atlantic Standard Time, which is used in the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

There were similar efforts in 2023 but all bills failed.

In 2019, Delaware passed a bill for the state to permanently remain on daylight saving time, but it was contingent on Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland doing the same. 

As with other bills of this nature, it would also depend on congressional action allowing states to permanently adopt DST. 

Florida became the first state to pass a resolution to observe daylight saving time year-round, passing the legislation in 2018. If Congress repeals the Uniform Time Act of 1966, it would go into effect immediately. 

In 2021, Georgia’s legislature passed a permanent daylight saving time law that was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp.

Congress must repeal the Uniform Time Act of 1966 for Georgia’s bill to take effect. 

Despite a passed measure on permanent daylight saving time, State Rep. Dale Washburn introduced a bill earlier this year to move Georgia to standard time year-round. 

The measure, House Bill 870, died in committee. 

Hawaii, like Arizona, doesn’t observe daylight saving time. Federal law permits states to opt out of daylight saving but does not allow them to observe it year-round. 

In 2011, a bill was introduced to the Hawaii House that would have the state opt-in, but it never passed. 

Idaho is a complicated case because it is divided among two time zones (Pacific Time for the northern half of the state and Mountain Time for the south). In 2020, the Idaho legislature passed a measure which would make DST permanent in the northern half of the state — but not the southern half — if the state of Washington also makes the permanent switch. 

In 2024, a new measure was introduced into the Idaho legislature to rid the state of daylight saving time all together. The measure, H0584, would have gone into effect if at least two other neighboring states passed similar legislation. It died in committee after being referred to State Affairs. 

One bill introduced into the Illinois House of Representatives seeks to make daylight saving time year-round. HB 1192, introduced in early 2023, hasn’t made much progress awaiting the House Rules Committee. 

As is the trend in most states, Illinois legislators also introduced a bill to exempt the state from permanent daylight saving time. House Bill 5114 remains pending as it awaits the House Rules Committee. 

Indiana is another state split between two time zones. While the majority of counties in Indiana are in the Eastern time zone, 18 counties in the northwest and southwest parts of the state are in the Central time zone. 

A bill exempting Indiana from daylight saving time was introduced into the Indiana General Assembly for the 2024 session but died in committee. 

The Iowa legislature introduced two bills in 2023 that would make daylight saving time permanent. The House File 242 died in chamber while the House bill died in committee without much progress in the state legislature. 

But even if HF 242 and HB 498 get a vote and are signed into law, it wouldn’t take effect until there’s federal approval. 

The last time Kansas lawmakers put forward a daylight saving time bill was in 2019. That bill would have kept the state off of DST, but it died in 2020. If it had passed, that bill would have taken effect without congressional approval, because states are able to stop using DST, but aren’t able to adopt it permanently without congressional action. 

Kansas lawmakers have also proposed moving to daylight saving time year-round, but those proposals have failed to get a voted by the state legislature.

In 2023, a measure was introduced in the Kentucky House to make DST permanent if the Uniform Time Act of 1966 or the Standard Time Act of 1918 are amended by Congress to allow year-round daylight saving time. However, the bill failed to become law.

Earlier this year, a converse measure was introduced that would have made the state use standard time throughout the year. House Bill 674 never made it out of committee. 

House Bill 132, making daylight saving time permanent in Louisiana, was signed into law in 2020. Like other permanent DST laws across the nation, it cannot go into effect while Congress keeps the Uniform Time Act of 1966 in place.

In 2019, Maine enacted a law to stay on Eastern Daylight Time all year long, but only if Congress acts to allow it. In 2021, Maine commissioned a study on the topic.

In 2023, Maine introduced a bill that would establish Eastern Standard Time year-round. The measure failed to pass as law.

House Bill 165 sought to make DST permanent year-round but ultimately died in the House in 2023. A similar Senate bill was filed last year but also failed.

Maryland has had similar efforts before but they have never been able to become law. Maryland House Bill 1013, which would have done away with DST for the state, passed the House in 2021, but stalled in a Senate committee. A separate but similar Senate bill, SB 840, was also introduced in 2021 and ended up stalled in the same committee.

Massachusetts introduced a pair of concurrent bills in the House and the Senate in 2023, which would repeal DST and put the state exclusively on Atlantic Standard Time. 

The measures were reintroduced in late August as House Bill 4994, it is currently pending in the state legislature. The revamped bill would authorize the oversight committee to launch a study on proposed change. 

A 2023 bill, awaiting to be heard by a committee in the Michigan Senate, would adopt daylight saving time year-round as long as Congress allows the switch. 

Michigan’s House of Representatives passed a bill in April 2021 to move to year-round daylight saving time as long as Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania also made the switch. The Michigan bill was sent to the Senate, where it died in committee.

A pair of bills in the Minnesota House and Senate were introduced in 2023, according to the NCSL. The bills would have recognized federal standard time year-round beginning in 2024, however the measures died in committee.

The Minnesota legislature approved a plan in 2021 to permanently observe daylight saving time, pending congressional approval. 

Mississippi lawmakers passed legislation in 2021 for year-round daylight saving time, pending congressional approval.

In 2021, lawmakers in Missouri proposed a bill that would permanently put the state at daylight saving time, if three of eight bordering states follow suit. The Missouri House approved the plan, but the state Senate failed to vote on the measure before the session ended.

In 2023, there were two House bills under consideration that would make DST permanent. House Bill 157 and House Bill 265 both failed to become law. 

A recent measure was introduced into Missouri’s House of Representatives for the 2024 session but died in the chamber. If it had passed, it would have made it so daylight saving time was the year-round if Congress allowed the change.

A bill in the Montana House attempted to create state standard time, declaring the Montana exempt from daylight saving time. However, the bill failed to become law. 

Montana passed and signed into law in May 2021 a measure to keep the state in daylight saving time year-round if Congress or the U.S. Department of Transportation approves. Three of these states must also go on full-year daylight saving first: Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah or Wyoming. 

A bill was considered in the Nebraska legislature in 2023 that would have moved the state to daylight saving time year-round if three neighboring states also made the move. Wyoming and Colorado already have such legislation in place. 

The Nebraska measure, LB143, failed to pass as law earlier this year and was indefinitely postponed. 

Even if it had passed, the bill would still require Congress to allow the time change before taking effect. 

The last bill to approach the subject was in 2021, and would have directed the state to adopt either Pacific Daylight Time or Pacific Standard Time year-round — depending on what California does — to keep time zones standardized throughout the region. But the bill died before a vote. 

In 2024, a New Hampshire lawmaker filed a bill that would move the state to Atlantic Standard Time permanently— if Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts do the same. The effort died in chamber.

A similar measure was introduced into New Hampshire’s legislature in 2023. House Bill 1679 would exempt the state from daylight saving time if Maine and Massachusetts also repeal DST. The effort died in chamber but has a hearing scheduled for Oct 17. 

A 2024 bill by New Jersey lawmakers in the state Senate was put forward that would put the state on daylight saving time permanently if Congress gives its approval. But that measure is still pending in the legislature. 

A pair of New Mexico state senators put forward a bill in the 2023 legislative session that would exempt the state from daylight saving time like Arizona or Hawaii. But the bill ultimately failed in the Senate.

New York lawmakers have recently introduced several measures into the senate and state assembly regarding daylight saving time. The efforts range from making DST permanent year-round to eliminating it all together. All bills are still pending. 

The North Carolina House passed an effort in early 2023 to adopt DST year-round if authorized by Congress, but the measure died in committee. 

A sister bill in the North Carolina Senate also sought to adopt daylight saving time year-round but never made it out of committee.

The most recent attempt to pass a permanent DST bill in North Dakota was killed in 2021, when the legislature voted it down. 

The bill would have taken effect if Minnesota, Montana and South Dakota adopted similar measures.  

According to Prairie Public Broadcasting, the bill’s main sponsor didn’t like the amendment requiring those other three states to be on board first, although Montana and Minnesota have passed bills to make the change. 

Ohio State Rep. Rodney Creech introduced a resolution in 2023 urging Congress to make DST permanent. The bill was adopted by the House and sent over to the Senate. It is still pending. 

Creech filed a similar bill in 2021, where it passed the House but died in the Senate. 

Oklahoma introduced an array of bills regarding daylight saving time, ranging from keeping it all-year round to eliminating it all together. 

In April of this year, the Oklahoma governor signed a bill to “lock the clock” and permanently use daylight saving time year-round. The bill would still require Congress to allow the time change before taking effect. 

The efforts to establish standard time year-round failed to pass as they died in committee.

In 2024, Oregon lawmakers introduced a bill into the Senate that would have kept the state on permanent standard time, if Washington and California adopted to do the same. While the Oregon Senate narrowly approved Senate Bill 1548 on a 16-14 vote earlier this year, the bill failed to pass as law.

Last year, two efforts failed in the Oregon House and Senate aimed at changing the daylight saving time. HB 3102 sought to eliminate daylight saving time and require the state to rely on standard time for the entire year. 

SB 1090 sought to abolish one-hour change in time from standard time to daylight saving time and keep the state in standard time for all 12 months of the year, except in a portion of Oregon that adheres to Mountain Time Zone. 

The Pennsylvania House introduced a measure in 2023 to make daylight saving time permanent if Congress authorized the change. House Bill 272 remains pending with no progress made. 

For the 2023 session, State Sen. Scott Martin re-introduced a resolution urging the federal government to repeal the Uniform Time Act of 1966, allowing states to choose for themselves which time procedure to follow. 

Other bills filed in 2023 looked to abolish daylight saving time, change the state to Atlantic Standard Time and to observe daylight saving time year-round. Those efforts also failed to get traction. 

Rhode Island’s state legislature does not appear to have any current bills related to daylight saving time.

In previous years, the state has floated the idea of joining the Atlantic Standard Time zone similar to proposals in Connecticut and New Hampshire. But those proposals have not made much headway.

South Carolina passed a bill in 2020 to make daylight saving time permanent, but it won’t take effect unless there is approval by Congress. 

There were also two House bills in 2023 related to exempting the state from daylight saving time, but both died in committee.

In 2024 a bill was introduced to the South Dakota State Legislature to make daylight saving time permanent if Congress makes the change. House Bill 1009 died in chamber without much progress in the house.

In 2019, Tennessee implemented a law mandating statewide observance of daylight saving time year-round. Although without Congress changing the law, the state law has no effect.

In 2023, there were measures filed to exempt the state from observing daylight saving time if surrounding states exempt themselves. TheHouse measurefailed while in committee.

Texas lawmakers have repeatedly attempted to get rid of daylight saving time, but the efforts haven’t taken hold. In April 2023, the Texas House approved a bill to permanently stay on daylight saving time but the Senate never voted on it. 

Other lawmakers proposed having voters decide if the state should follow daylight saving time or stay in standard time year-round. However, that plan has yet to receive a vote in either legislative chamber. 

Signed into law in 2020, Utah’s move to permanent daylight saving time is contingent on congressional approval and at least four other western states also making the move. These can include Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington or Wyoming. 

Vermont lawmakers attempted to make daylight saving time permanent in the state with House Bill 329 in 2023. The bill however died in committee.

A bill seeking to make standard time permanent if neighboring states do the same was also introduced into the state legislature but failed to make any progress. 

Before 2023, the last attempt to change how the state observes daylight saving time was in 2021, when a bill that would have exempted the state from DST failed to make it out of a house committee.  

A measure was introduced into the state’s legislature in 2024. The bill, HB 6, aimed to make the Commonwealth observe Eastern Daylight Time year-round, if Congress allowed for the time change to take effect.

House Bill 6 failed while in committee. 

In 2023, there were measures to move Virginia to year-round daylight saving time but they failed in the state Senate after a divided vote on the bill. 

Despite the state legislature passing a law in 2019 for permanent daylight saving time, it cannot go into effect without the approval of Congress, which has consistently failed to bring the issue to a full vote.

A new measure was filed in the state senate for 2024, aiming to keep the state in Pacific Standard Time year-round. The bill is authored by Sen. Mike Padden. The bill failed to pass and died in committee.

A new bill that would eliminate daylight saving time in West Virginia — putting the state on Eastern time year-round — was filed in 2024. However, it failed to make it out of committee. 

Previous attempts to make this change failed in the house when the 2022 legislative session ended. 

The last notable effort in Wisconsin to eliminate daylight saving time was scrapped in 2017 after social media backlash forced the two legislators who authored the bill to walk it back. The Associated Press reported that the pair faced backlash from constituents and even calls from upset relatives. 

One of the sponsors, Rep. Michael Schraa, conceded, “This would be a lot better if we just stayed on daylight saving time.” 

Wyoming’s legislature passed a measure in March 2020 to allow the state to observe year-round daylight saving time if approved by Congress and if three nearby states adopted the same plan. Those states would need to be from: Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota or Utah. 

The legislature introduced another bill in 2023 to establish Mountain Standard Time year-round but the effort failed.