US clocks fall back Nov 1 as House-passed DST bill stalls in Senate
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The gist
US daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, turning clocks back an hour.
A House-passed bill to let states keep DST year-round still awaits Senate action.
Background
Daylight saving time is the period between spring and fall when clocks in most of the US are set one hour ahead of standard time; it runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November under dates set in federal statute. The US first adopted DST in 1918, and the Uniform Time Act of 1966 made it a national standard. The Sunshine Protection Act, first introduced in March 2018 by then-Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rep. Vern Buchanan, would make DST permanent year-round; versions have been introduced repeatedly without becoming law. The House passed a new version in July 2026, but the Senate has not approved it.
How it unfolded
- 1918The US formally introduced daylight saving time when Congress established standard time zones under the Standard Time Act.
- 1966The Uniform Time Act, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, made DST a national standard, framed as a way to conserve energy.
- Jan 1974The country tried year-round daylight saving time under President Richard Nixon to address the energy crisis; Congress and President Gerald Ford later restored standard time.
- 2007The current DST schedule was introduced under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
- Mar 2018The Sunshine Protection Act was first introduced by then-Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Vern Buchanan.
- 2022A bipartisan Sunshine Protection Act that would have made DST permanent passed the Senate.
- Mar 8, 2026Daylight saving time began for the year.
- Jul 2026The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act 308–117; the Senate has yet to approve it, and no vote was scheduled before lawmakers broke for recess.
- Oct 19, 2026A Congressional Research Service infographic on state proposals to change DST observance was issued, with information as of that date.
- Nov 1, 2026Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. ET, with clocks turning back one hour to 1 a.m.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- NIST, an official US timekeeper, says DST moves one hour of daylight from the morning to the evening, giving more sunlit hours in the evening during the warmest months.
- Analysts
- Sleep researcher Dzierzewski argues people conflate DST with summer itself, noting it would still be summer under permanent standard time.
- Caution
- Gizmodo commentary argues permanent standard time is the better choice for sleep and health, preserving earlier winter morning light, while golf course owners and convenience-store groups back DST for later evening recreation and spending.
- Support
- Florida legislators said ending daylight saving time could help tourism.