Time Change 2024
It’s only a matter of weeks before daylight saving time is over for the year. Most Americans will “fall back” and gain an hour more sleep.
The sometimes-controversial practice of moving the clock happens twice a year, either to allow for more daylight in the winter mornings or for more daylight in the summer evenings. Most, but not all, U.S. territories and states observe daylight saving time. Some lawmakers are considering legislation that would end the practice once and for all.
Even though we will “fall back” to standard time in November, it can still cause schedule disruptions for children, parents and pets. Here’s some information to help you prepare as daylight saving time ends for the year.
What is daylight savings time?
Between March and November, most Americans set their clocks forward by an hour.
In November, we gain an extra hour (instead of losing an hour) in order to have more daylight during the mornings in winter. In March, we “spring ahead” to get more evening daylight. The autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is Sunday, September 22, which marks the beginning of fall.
What is the Sunshine Protection Act (SPA)?
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2020, which created daylight saving time as the new permanent standard time in the United States, was unanimously approved by the U.S. Senate but not by the U.S. House of Representatives.
No news has been released on the date that it will be rewritten and signed into law.
Why did daylight savings time start?
The Congressional Research Service states that the U.S. began using daylight savings time in 1918, during World War I. Germany started the practice in 16 to save fuel by adding an hour to the evening. Other European nations soon followed suit.
Last year, Vern Buchanan (a Republican from Florida) who introduced in the House the latest version the Sunshine Protection Act to extend daylight saving time all year round, described the biannual change as “inconvenient”, “totally unnecessary” and “an antiquated practice.”
Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida who sponsored the Senate’s unanimously passed version of the law in 2022, has introduced a revised version that will be considered by the chamber. Rubio stated that the “ritual of changing time two times a year” was stupid.
Rick Scott is Florida’s second Republican senator. Some of his colleagues, including Sens. Bill Hagerty from Tennessee, Cindy Hyde Smith of Mississippi, James Lankford from Oklahoma, Rand Paul from Kentucky, Katie Boyd Britt, and Tommy Tuberville, both of Alabama, have all backed this bill.
Some Democrats have also done so, and they hold a small majority in the Senate. Sens. The bill is supported by Martin Heinrich from New Mexico, Ed Markey from Massachusetts, Alex Padilla from California, Tina Smith from Minnesota, Sheldon Whitehouse in Rhode Island, and Ron Wyden, of Oregon. Wyden calls for an end to “the twice-a year time change madness”.
When does Time Change 2024 begin?
In 2024, daylight saving time started on Sunday, 10 March at 2 am local time. This is part of a twice-yearly time change that impacts most Americans, but not everyone.
When does DST end?
We will sleep an extra hour when daylight saving time ends. When daylight saving time starts in the spring, we lose an hour of sleep when our clocks are moved forward.
Some people use the phrase “When it comes daylight saving time, when we spring forward, then we fall back” to help them remember.
When will daylight savings time end in 2024?
On Sunday, November 3, daylight saving time ends for the year. We will “fall back” an hour and get an extra sleep.
Next year it will start again on Sunday 9th March 2025.
Why do we observe daylight savings?
It is the goal of daylight savings time to increase daylight hours per day. This can be done for many reasons, but most importantly to save energy. Some people have argued that more daylight hours are good for public health and safety.
In 1918, the United States introduced daylight saving time during World War I. It was called “wartime.” After the war, it was abandoned as there were no longer any financial reasons to keep the system going.
The Uniform Time Act, 1966 was the first time daylight saving time began in the U.S. It started the last Sunday in April and ended the last Sunday in October.
In 2005, it was changed to the first Sunday in November and second Sunday in March. According to a Department of Energy report, the additional four weeks of daylight savings time in the U.S. saved about 0.5% of total electricity each day. This is equivalent to energy savings of around 1.3 billion kilowatt hours annually .
Will the Federal Government ever lock clocks?
The federal government has tried to stop the change of time on multiple occasions. This includes the version 2023 of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) Sunshine Protection Act which Ohio and Oklahoma legislators expressed support for through their resolutions. The bill, if passed, would keep the U.S. in daylight saving time all year round.
Rubio’s Bill was introduced in 2023 and quickly referred to Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
The bill remains in committee despite bipartisan support.
Which states do not observe daylight saving time?
Hawaii and Arizona’s majority do not observe daylight saving time. American Samoa and Guam are also exempt from daylight saving time. The bill to make the change permanent will allow them to continue to be exempt.
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