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Fortune
Fortune
Chris Morris

Time change is once again on lawmakers' radar, with dozens of states potentially taking matters into their own hands

(Credit: Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
  • Dozens of states are looking at doing away with time changes. That comes as Trump has expressed his annoyance with Daylight Saving Time, calling it “very costly to our Nation.”

Donald Trump has made his thoughts on Daylight Saving Time clear, calling it “inconvenient” and “very costly to our Nation” in posts on Truth Social last year. He pledged previously to do away with the time change, but so far, has made no move to do so. (Elon Musk has also expressed an interest in doing away with time changes.)

That’s got several states looking to tackle Daylight Saving on their own. (Currently, only Arizona and Hawaii have done away with the time change, both choosing to observe standard time year-round.)

Legislation regarding Daylight Saving Time is being proposed or is underway in nearly two dozen states. Seven states—ConnecticutIllinoisIowaMaineMarylandNorth Carolina, and Pennsylvania—have all proposed observing daylight savings time year-round. Mississippi proposed a similar bill, but that one did not proceed beyond committee.

Meanwhile, several other states are pushing to make standard time permanent, including ArkansasCaliforniaIdahoIndianaKansasKentuckyNevadaNew JerseyNorth DakotaOregonPennsylvaniaSouth DakotaUtahWashington, and West Virginia.

In many cases, the state bills are dependent on congressional action.

Congress is the only government body that can legally oversee time changes. And while there have been bipartisan efforts to make daylight time permanent and end the changing of clocks, none have ever gotten anywhere. The most recent came in 2024, but the one that made the most progress was a 2022 bill that was passed by the Senate, which would have made daylight saving time permanent starting in 2023. The bill died in the House, though, never coming to a vote.

Over the past nine years, roughly 30 states have introduced their own legislation to end the time changes, but few have enacted them. Different times in different states could make travel confusing.

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