Daylight saving time: Where states stand on making it permanent
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Most of the U.S. will fall back to standard time Sunday — even as most of the country wants to sunset the biannual clock change.
Why it matters: 19 states have passed laws for permanent daylight saving time, but they can't act without Congress — and federal efforts have stalled.
By the numbers: Overall, 35 states have considered or are considering resolutions related to DST in 2025 — with a portion of those bills connected to permanent standard time — according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Between the lines: California voters approved permanent DST back in 2018 via ballot measure, but state lawmakers haven't yet passed the required legislation.
Catch up quick: Many states that have passed measures related to permanent DST are still sorting out how it would actually work — and some have passed it contingent on neighboring states following suit.
- The U.S. Senate passed a permanent DST bill in 2022, but it sat idle thereafter — and even the Senate version passed in controversial fashion.
- DST is "inconvenient" and "very costly," President Trump wrote on social media in December.
The bottom line: States can switch to year-round standard time (like Arizona and Hawaii have already done), but they can only adopt permanent DST with an act of Congress — meaning these measures are effectively moot absent federal action.
