With daylight savings in SC days away, whatever happened to Congress ending the time changes?
Spring is just around the corner and that means daylight saving time will soon begin.
But didn’t South Carolina and U.S. lawmakers vote to end these annual time changes?
Well, yes and no.
Daylight saving time is set to begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday, requiring Americans to “spring forward” and set their clocks ahead one hour. We’ve been without daylight saving time since Nov. 5.
The longstanding tradition of moving clocks ahead or back one hour each year has been the bane of many a sleep-deprived American for decades.
Didn’t SC vote to end daylight savings?
The South Carolina Legislature voted in 2020 to make daylight saving time permanent. That means the state would stop changing the clocks twice a year and would no longer have to endure darkness before dinner during the winter months. However, the law doesn’t take effect until Congress votes to do away with the time changes.
What has Congress done on daylight saving?
Congress has tried a few times in recent years to end the time changing, but to no avail.
Among the most recent attempts was a bill introduced in 2023 by Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., which would let states remain on daylight saving time all year. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. introduced a similar bill. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. also pushed the 2023 version of the Sunshine Protection Act. Those bills have all been stuck in committees.
Why make daylight savings permanent?
The U.S. has had some form of daylight saving time since 1918, with the current federal policy being enacted in 1966. There have been a few changes since then, mainly with adjustments to the start and end dates.
Daylight saving time was originally enacted as a way to save energy by providing more daylight in the evening hours. Some studies have called such savings into question.
Other studies have shown impacts on people’s health because of the time changes. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has stated that “based on evidence that shows the switch to daylight saving time carries many health and accident risks and is misaligned with human circadian biology, the position of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine is that seasonal time changes should be abolished in favor of permanent standard time.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
