Now that 2026 has officially arrived, we’re only a few short weeks away from getting more of that precious sunshine. While it may still be a few weeks away, now is the time to prepare for Daylight Saving Time.
This year’s Spring Daylight Savings Time will occur at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8. At that point, clocks will “forward” one hour, allowing most Americans to enjoy an extra hour of sunshine at night.
DST occurs annually on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November.
While some areas observe daylight saving time, the tradition became official in the United States in 1966, when the Uniform Time Act of 1966 was passed. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 amended the law to extend daylight saving time from April to October, and then from March to November.
Every March, Americans are reminded to set their clocks forward one hour as they “move forward.” Then in November, the clocks “go back” an hour, resulting in an extra hour of sleep that night. Although most electronics automatically adjust their time, Americans are reminded to change the time on stoves, microwaves, car radios, home radios and wall clocks.
Although the practice has been practiced for nearly 60 years, there have been several efforts to end it in recent years. While none of those efforts were successful in Congress, a bill was introduced last year that renewed calls for an end to daylight saving time.
The bill would set a permanent standard time and allow states with areas exempt from daylight saving time to choose a standard time for those areas. However, the bill has stalled in the Senate and will need to be reintroduced in 2026 if it is to become law.
Read the original article at mlive.com.
