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The United States House of Representatives voted on July 14, 2026, to make daylight saving time permanent nationwide.
The measure, called the Sunshine Protection Act, passed by a vote of 308 to 117 and now moves to the Senate. President Trump has indicated he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.
If enacted, it would end the practice of changing clocks twice a year, a routine most Americans say they want gone. It would also settle a harder question that has divided lawmakers, medical experts, and the public for decades: at what age to keep.
This guide explains what the bill does, which US states and countries already live without daylight saving time, and the strongest arguments on each side of the debate.
What The Sunshine Protection Act Would Do
Daylight saving time is the schedule Americans follow from March to November, when clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time.
Under the bill, that forward-shifted clock would apply all year. There would be no fall change in November and no spring change in March.
The practical effect is a straightforward trade. Winter evenings would stay brighter for an extra hour. Winter mornings would stay darker for an extra hour.
States would retain one alternative. Any state that adopts permanent standard time before the law takes effect could keep it, as Hawaii and most of Arizona do today.
Which US States Do Not Observe Daylight Saving Time
Two states do not observe daylight saving time: Hawaii and Arizona, except the Navajo Nation inside Arizona. All five inhabited US territories, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands, also remain on standard time all year.
Hawaii
Hawaii has never observed daylight saving time under the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
The reason is geographic. Hawaii sits close to the equator, so sunrise and sunset times vary little across the year, and shifting the clock would provide no meaningful benefit.
Arizona
Arizona opted out in 1968, citing heat rather than daylight. An additional hour of evening sun in a desert summer means an additional hour of extreme temperatures and higher cooling costs.
Arizona also contains the most unusual time boundary in the country. The Navajo Nation, which extends across northeastern Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, observes daylight saving time so that its entire territory uses a single time zone. The Hopi Reservation, which sits entirely within the Navajo Nation, follows the rest of Arizona in this regard.
The result is that a driver on a single highway in northeastern Arizona can pass between two different local times several times in one afternoon.
The US Territories
Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands all remain on standard time year-round. Like Hawaii, they sit in tropical latitudes where day length changes little, so there is no daylight to save.
The Legal Rule Most Americans Do Not Know
Under current federal law, the exemption only works in one direction.
A state may opt out of daylight saving time entirely and remain on permanent standard time. Hawaii and Arizona did exactly that.
No state, however, may adopt permanent daylight saving time on its own. That change requires an act of Congress.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have enacted legislation to move to year-round daylight saving time if Congress permits it, including Florida, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, and Oregon. Those laws have remained dormant for years. The Sunshine Protection Act would activate them.
Countries That Do Not Observe Daylight Saving Time
Globally, the clock change is the exception rather than the rule. Roughly a third of the world’s countries observe daylight saving time today, with the practice concentrated in North America and Europe, and the number has declined steadily.
In Asia, China ended the practice in 1991 and operates the entire country on a single time zone. India has never observed it, and Japan abandoned it after 1951. Russia abolished it in 2014 in favor of permanent standard time, while Turkey moved in the opposite direction in 2016, adopting permanent daylight saving time. Iran ended the practice in 2022, and Jordan and Syria adopted permanent daylight saving time the same year.
In the Americas, Mexico ended daylight saving time in 2022 except in municipalities along the US border, and Brazil abolished it in 2019. Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Ecuador do not observe it. In Canada, Saskatchewan does not change clocks, and Yukon stopped changing clocks in 2020 by adopting permanent time zone alignment with its former standard time. Chile continues to change clocks in most of the country, though its southern Magallanes region remains on summer time year-round.
Nearly all of Africa does not observe the clock change. Egypt is the notable exception, having reinstated daylight saving time in 2023 as an energy conservation measure.
In the Pacific, the Australian states of Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory do not observe it, while New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia do. New Zealand continues to change clocks. Most Pacific island nations do not.
The remaining major observers are the United States, most of Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, parts of Australia, and most of Chile. Even that list may shrink. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end seasonal clock changes, though member states have not agreed on how to implement it.
The Case For Permanent Daylight Saving Time
Ending The Clock Change Itself
The transition, rather than either time system, is where the clearest harm lies.
A 2020 study in the journal Current Biology found that fatal traffic accidents in the United States increase by approximately 6% in the week following the spring clock change. A widely cited 2014 analysis of Michigan hospital data, published in the journal Open Heart, found a measurable increase in heart attack admissions in the days after the spring shift.
Any permanent time-saving or standard would eliminate that twice-yearly disruption.
More Usable Evening Daylight
Permanent daylight saving time shifts sunlight toward the hours when most people are awake and active.
Supporters argue that brighter evenings encourage outdoor activity, recreation, and commerce after work and school. The retail, restaurant, and recreation industries have supported the change on those grounds for decades.
Claimed Safety And Crime Benefits
Proponents of the bill also cite research suggesting that brighter evenings reduce traffic accidents during peak commute hours and lower street crime rates, which most occur in the evening. Researchers continue to debate the size and consistency of these effects.
Majority Public Preference
Polling consistently shows that Americans want the biannual change eliminated. A 2025 poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center found that 56 percent of adults would choose permanent daylight saving time if required to pick one system, compared with roughly 40 percent preferring permanent standard time.
The Case Against Permanent Daylight Saving Time
Dark Winter Mornings
The cost of brighter evenings is concentrated in winter mornings, and the effect varies sharply by geography.
The table below shows the approximate January 1 sunrise time in major American cities under permanent daylight saving time. Times are calculated by adding one hour to each city’s standard-time sunrise and rounding to the nearest five minutes.
| City | Approximate January 1 Sunrise |
|---|---|
| New York | 8:20 AM |
| Atlanta | 8:40 AM |
| Chicago | 8:20 AM |
| Minneapolis | 8:50 AM |
| Detroit | 9:00 AM |
| Indianapolis | 9:05 AM |
| Seattle | 8:55 AM |
| Boise | 9:15 AM |
Cities on the western edge of their time zones would see sunrises at or after 9 AM for weeks. Schoolchildren and early-shift workers in those regions would begin their days in full darkness for much of the winter.
Medical Organizations Favor The Opposite Solution
Major sleep and medical bodies, including the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, support ending the clock change but endorse permanent standard time rather than permanent daylight saving time.
Their position rests on circadian science. Morning light is the primary signal that regulates the human body clock, and sleep researchers link months of waking in darkness to chronic sleep loss, lower mood, and elevated long-term health risks.
The option Congress has chosen is therefore the one that the relevant medical specialty opposes.
The 1974 Precedent
The United States has attempted permanent daylight saving time before. Congress adopted it in January 1974 as an energy measure during the oil crisis.
Public support collapsed within months, driven largely by dark winter mornings and by reports of children injured on dark walks to school. The law was repealed before its two-year trial period ended.
Winter sunrise times and human biology have not changed since 1974, which is why opponents regard the earlier repeal as directly relevant rather than merely historical.
Divided Public Opinion Beneath The Consensus
While Americans broadly agree on ending the switch, surveys diverge on what should replace it. Alongside the AP-NORC finding of 56 percent support, a separate survey cited in this week’s vote coverage found only 43 percent preferring permanent daylight saving time, with 28 percent preferring standard time and the remainder undecided.
An Uncertain Path In The Senate
Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas has previously blocked similar measures and has raised the dark morning problem directly. Senators from both parties have opposed the bill in committee, and Senate leadership has not committed to a floor vote.
The Senate passed a comparable bill in 2022, but it later stalled in the House. The chambers may now simply exchange positions.
What Happens Next
The global trend is clear. Country after country has examined daylight saving time and abandoned the clock change, with Russia and Brazil choosing permanent standard time and Turkey and Jordan choosing permanent daylight saving time.
The Sunshine Protection Act would place the United States in the second group. Whether it becomes law now depends on a Senate where the outcome is genuinely uncertain.
The debate, in the end, is not about whether to stop changing clocks. Nearly everyone agrees on that. It is about whether the country values its winter evenings or its winter mornings more, and the answer differs depending on where a person lives, when their day begins, and whose research they find persuasive.
Trivia: Benjamin Franklin is often credited with inventing daylight saving time, but his 1784 essay suggesting Parisians wake earlier was satire. The first nationwide clock change was implemented by Germany in 1916 to conserve coal during World War I, and its wartime enemies copied the policy within weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has permanent daylight saving time become law?
No. As of July 15, 2026, the Sunshine Protection Act has passed the House but still requires Senate approval and the President’s signature. Its prospects in the Senate remain uncertain.
Which US states do not observe daylight saving time?
Hawaii and most of Arizona, along with all five US territories. The Navajo Nation within Arizona is the exception and does observe it.
Why do sleep experts prefer permanent standard time?
Morning sunlight is the main signal that sets the human body clock. Permanent standard time preserves morning light in winter, which sleep researchers associate with better sleep, mood, and long-term health.
Did the United States try permanent daylight saving time before?
Yes. Congress adopted it in January 1974 during the oil crisis. It proved unpopular because of dark winter mornings and was repealed in under a year.
Can a state choose year-round daylight saving time today?
No. Under current federal law, states may opt out of daylight saving time only. Adopting permanent daylight saving time requires congressional approval, which is what the pending Sunshine Protection Act would provide.
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