It’s time to set the clocks back again, November 6th is the latest part of Daylight Savings Time. But this year, one big question looms over the nation as people prepare to set the clocks: Is this the last time we’ll ever “back off”?
In March, the U.S. Senate passed what’s known as the Sunshine Act, which will end the ritual of changing the clocks twice a year by making one set time permanent after the nation reemerges in March 2023.
Next week would basically be the last time to back out and the second to last time to change time again. But not so fast. A measure is anything but set in stone.
The bill has yet to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed by President Joe Biden, and the process appears to have hit a “brick wall,” according to a July article by The Hill.
The article cites major disagreements with the bill’s language — for example, whether daylight saving time or standard time should be permanent — and the House’s other priorities are the main reasons why the Sun Protection Act has hit a snag.
When the bill was passed by the Senate, the White House declined to express its position on whether or not it supported the bill. The fact that it’s an election year doesn’t help, either, as Washington is likely to take on new leadership and perspectives on the issue in January after November’s midterm elections.
For states in the northern half of the United States and countries in the northern hemisphere that endure cold winter months, an extra hour of daylight at night during the summer allows people to continue to enjoy recreational activities such as walking in a park or downtown, golfing, fishing, biking or hiking. Daylight saving time can also be a boon for businesses, according to NPR.
There is a theory that more daylight gives people more incentive to go shopping on their way home from work. The article states that one of the biggest proponents of daylight saving time is the various offices of the Chamber of Commerce. Farmers, on the other hand, have lobbied against daylight saving time in the past, arguing that the lost hour of daylight in the morning disrupts getting crops to market and makes it harder for livestock’s body clocks to adjust, the website Simply Grazin reports.
.’ Additionally, southern states that have warmer summers generally prefer to have one hour less daylight during those months. There are also reports that an hour of sleep lost on Mondays after daylight savings time in the spring may increase the risk of heart attacks and traffic accidents.
