Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — At 2 a.m. Sunday, Utahns and residents of nearly every state in the country will turn their clocks back. This extra hour of sleep will lead to an earlier sunrise and an earlier sunset for the next four months until daylight saving time begins again.
In 2020, Utah's legislature passed a bill to make daylight saving time last all year, ending the need to "spring forward" and "fall back." However, the bill only goes into effect if the United States Congress passes its own bill to allow states to stay on daylight saving time and four other western states make the change, as well.
Although four western states have passed similar measures — Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming — some of those state's laws also include specific conditions that would also need to be met, including relying on different states making the change as well.
Currently, federal law allows individual states to use standard time year-round, like Arizona, or switch to daylight saving time, but not stay on daylight saving year-round, which is what a large group of people prefer. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in the last four years 19 states including Utah have passed resolutions or legislation for year-round daylight saving time and are waiting for Congress to allow it.
Federal lawmakers have proposed this change, but it does not seem to be their top priority.
Rep. Chris Stewart, R-Utah, sponsored the "Daylight Act" in the House of Representatives in 2021, which would allow states to stay on daylight saving time. The bill was referred to a subcommittee where it has stayed since February.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, sponsored the "Sunshine Protection Act" for the third year in a row this year. This bill would require some states to stay on daylight saving time. That bill and a similar House bill have also been held in a subcommittee since February.
During World War I, Congress enacted the first daylight saving law to help conserve energy during the summer, not to help farmers as is sometimes claimed. Although daylight saving was practiced for a few years during World War I and World War II, the current daylight saving practices have only been around since 1966 when the Uniform Time Act was passed.
When you consider that daylight saving has only been around for about 55 years, it seems more likely that within the next few years the yearly ritual of "falling back" will be over.
This year, set the clocks back and enjoy the extra hour of sleep while it lasts.
