Didn’t Congress vote to end daylight savings? Why is this still happening in MS soon?
In just a few days, many Americans will be setting their clocks back — and gaining an extra hour of sleep.
Daylight saving time is set to end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, cutting evening sunlight hours short for an extra hour of morning sunlight.
The time-change tradition has been controversial among Americans for several years, and each time the tradition comes around, there’s hearsay that it might be the last.
So what’s really going on? And why are some people so eager to do away with the tradition?
Here’s what to know in Mississippi.
Legislation to end daylight savings in MS
Mississippi lawmakers in January introduced a bill to observe daylight saving time year-round, but the bill died in committee in February, according to the state legislature.
Even if the bill had passed, federal law would have to be amended before permanent daylight saving could be enforced as it does not currently allow year-round daylight saving, according to lawmakers.
“State legislatures continue to grapple with the vexing and multifaceted state policy questions regarding the biannual changing of clocks,” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
In 2025, at least 35 states have considered or are considering bills related to the daylight savings tradition, according to NCSL data.
Are there any states without daylight saving time?
Yes. Two states and several U.S. territories do not observe daylight saving time, according to the United States Astronomical Applications Department. Hawaii and most of Arizona observe standard time year round, according to the agency.
Why make daylight saving permanent?
Daylight saving time began as a way to add daylight hours to the day and help save energy costs during World War 1, according to the U.S. Department of War.
Experts have mixed opinions about whether the time change makes a difference in energy conservation today, with some claiming that it actually increases electricity demand.
Some negative health effects, including stroke and obesity, have been found to correlate with the time change, according to a Sept. 15 Stanford Medicine study published in the Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences, McClatchy News reported.
A majority of Americans, 63%, said they actually want to do away with daylight savings, according to a 2020 American Academy of Sleep Medicine Survey.
