Changing the clocks twice a year could soon become a thing of the past.
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent across the country. The legislation now heads to the Senate, where a similar proposal has stalled in previous years.
If the bill ultimately becomes law, Ohioans would no longer “spring forward” in March and “fall back” every November. Instead, the state would stay on Daylight Saving Time year-round.
That doesn’t mean we’d get more daylight. It simply shifts when that daylight happens.
For central Ohio, the biggest difference would come during the winter months. Instead of seeing the sun rise around 8 a.m. and set before 5 p.m., winter mornings would stay dark much longer, with sunrise moving to roughly 9 a.m. In exchange, sunsets would happen closer to 6 p.m., giving people an extra hour of daylight after work or school.
For some Ohioans, that’s an easy tradeoff. Later sunsets mean more daylight for evening walks, youth sports, errands, and outdoor activities during the coldest months of the year.
Others aren’t convinced.
Critics of permanent Daylight Saving Time have long argued that darker winter mornings could create safety concerns for children heading to school and commuters driving before sunrise. Those concerns helped sink a similar proposal after it passed the Senate in 2022, and several senators have already expressed skepticism about the latest version of the bill.
The debate isn’t new.
Congress briefly adopted year-round Daylight Saving Time during the 1970s energy crisis, but the policy was repealed less than a year later after many Americans objected to the late winter sunrises.
Despite years of debate, one thing is clear: most Americans are tired of changing their clocks. Polling has consistently found that while people disagree on whether permanent Daylight Saving Time or permanent Standard Time is the better option, many support ending the twice-yearly time change altogether.
The House approved the latest version of the Sunshine Protection Act by a 308-117 vote, with bipartisan support. President Donald Trump has publicly backed the legislation, but it still must pass the Senate before it can be signed into law.
For now, nothing changes. Ohioans can still expect to turn their clocks back this November unless the Senate approves the measure and it becomes law.
