(ABC4) – We are just a few days away from gaining an hour of sleep as Daylight Saving Time ends.
Daylight Saving Time started on Sunday, March 14 – when we “sprung ahead” and lost an hour of sleep. Turning our clocks one hour ahead in spring is supposed to help us save energy and capitalize on the spring sunlight. When Daylight Saving starts, the sun rises and sets later.
Over 70 countries participate in Daylight Saving Time each year, but the beginning and end dates vary from one to another. On Sunday, November 7, Daylight Saving Time will come to an end as Utahns and many others set their clocks back one hour. While the sun will rise a little earlier after we change our clocks, it will also set earlier, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
Not a fan of changing the clocks twice a year? You aren’t alone. In 2020, Utah lawmakers proposed a bill to stay on Mountain Daylight Time year-round, pending approval from Congress and at least four other western states passing similar legislation.
Then-Governor Gary Herbert signed the bill but a couple of caveats are keeping Utah from staying on Daylight Saving Time. Not enough Western states have signed on to sticking with Daylight Saving Times, and Congress has not yet authorized states to eliminate Standard Time – the period over the winter months between setting our clocks back and springing ahead, according to Time and Date.
WATCH: Rep. Stewart proposes bill to end time change
ABOVE: Previous coverage of Rep. Stewart’s Daylight Act
Earlier this year, Representative Chris Stewart (R-Utah) sponsored a Congressional bill – H.R. 214, or the Daylight Act – that would allow states to observe daylight savings time year-round. It was introduced in the House of Representatives in early January before being referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. No new actions have been reported.
So for now, Utahns will still have to change their clocks twice a year, with the Daylight Saving Time set to end on November 7. After we fall behind then, we won’t have to spring our clocks forward again until Sunday, March 13.
