Daylight savings seems like an unassuming topic but easily inspires some strong opinions among many who have to contend with a dramatic shift in their circadian rhythm. Doing away with daylight savings has come up quite often over the years, enough to gain support from all sides and yet the practice remains. That’s because of legislation from the 1960s that continues putting the breaks on efforts to stop the bi-annual changing of the clocks.
The numbers show that several states would be fine – and are even ready with – getting rid of daylight savings. Arizona and Hawaii use a standard time all year and 19 others have resolutions supporting its removal. In 2018, Florida primed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would stick to one time – as soon as federal law allowed for it. Here’s the technicality that states have to navigate when working with – or without – daylight savings.
A 1960s law is stalling nationwide efforts to stop daylight savings
The practice of switching the clocks in the United States dates back to 1918. The world was starting to clamber out of a war of then-unprecedented brutality that cost invaluable amounts of time, resources, and human lives. Although America’s distance kept it from experiencing Europe’s devastating damage to infrastructure, the country did endure hardships such as military rations and limits on energy.
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On March 31, 1918, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Standard Time Act into law as a means of cutting energy costs by keeping working hours during the daylight. For years, it became standard practice for each individual state to have its own scheme for when daylight savings time began for them – and sometimes which parts of each state would practice it. To consolidate these differences, the U.S government passed the Uniform Time Act of 1966 – and that’s where things get tricky for states today.
Is the demand there?
The goal is the Uniform Time Act is to “promote the adoption and observance of uniform time within the standard time zones” established by the Standard Time Act of 1918. It instructs states that use daylight savings to all use the same start and end time. According to NBC News, this has locked states out of using daylight savings year-round without Congress first voting to change this federal law.
So, no change to keep the clocks in place can happen just yet. But is the demand there in the first place?
The Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act back in 2022 to make daylight savings permanent starting in spring 2023. This was the most promising move to make this happen, with universal approval from all sides. However, legislators did not take it to the House, citing other, more pressing concerns like the war in Ukraine and a domestic budget deficit.
Medical personnel are divided on the issue; primarily, they argue that states should stick to a standard time because human bodies are very susceptible to changes in their circadian rhythm. But scientists argue in favor of standard time, saying it is better for our bodies because we are biologically used to seeing light and calling it morning; things get dark, that means nighttime. Economically, it has been argued that preserving longer daylight hours keeps people inclined to go out and do things later in the day – like spend money. How much would society change at multiple levels with keeping or changing the daylight savings practices?
Do you want it to stay or go?
