Good Question: Will daylight saving time become permanent?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Here’s the answer to a good question about a possible change to daylight saving time.

Soon enough, a little more than a month from now, we fall back. Turning our clocks back an hour to standard time. Then in a few months, we’ll spring ahead, perhaps for the last time.

Steve says: “I seem to remember the Senate passing a bill making daylight saving time permanent. Is there a date when this is set to take effect? Thanks!”

That answer is simple. It would officially start next fall, November 2023. However, getting there is complicated and may not even happen.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate passed the measure to make daylight saving time permanent. Under the plan, we spring our clocks forward in March. Then that’s it, no more falling back.

Here’s the thing though. When you check the status of the bill, you’ll see it’s been stuck in the House chamber for months.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pointed to supporting the change but there’s been no formal debate on that side of Congress.

One of the bill’s main backers, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, says he would expect year-round daylight saving time to reduce crime with later hours of sunshine, decrease child obesity by encouraging kids to play later into the day, and put a dent in seasonal depression rates.

On the other hand, a switch to permanent daylight saving hours would also cause winter sunrises to occur even later than they already do, a significant issue for locations that are just to the east of the time zone dividing lines.

Again, the ball is in the House’s court in Washington. We’ll see if representatives take it up and when.