Sunita Somvanshi
Most of the US turned clocks back on Sunday, 1 November, giving many people an extra hour of sleep and darker late afternoons. The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, H.R. 139, in July. The bill now sits in the Senate, so the clock changes continue for now. Sleep medicine groups prefer permanent standard time all year.
The House passed H.R. 139 by 308 votes to 117 on 14 July 2026, according to the Clerk’s roll call record. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. A bill tracker lists it as received in the Senate and referred to the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. The United States changes its clocks twice a year under the Uniform Time Act of 1966. A 2005 law extended the summer period. The US first used daylight saving time nationally in 1918. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time.
For people adjusting to darker late afternoons, the clock change can disrupt sleep and body clocks for a few days. The autumn shift is generally considered smaller than the spring change. Keeping a steady wake-up time, getting morning daylight and eating dinner at regular times can help. Morning light can also help with the winter low mood some people feel, known as seasonal affective disorder.
Sleep experts’ position and the Senate’s next step
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports permanent standard time, the winter clock. Its argument is about morning light, which helps set the body clock.
Passing the Sunshine Protection Act would need a Senate vote and a presidential signature.
Will daylight saving time become permanent in the US? Not yet. The House has passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, but the Senate has not. If the bill does not pass before the 119th Congress ends in January 2027, the clock changes stay under the Uniform Time Act.
Keep a steady wake-up time, get outside in the morning and keep bedtimes regular while the body adjusts. The clocks will change again in March 2027 under current law.
