Daylight savings bill introduced in MS senate. Will 2026 be the last year we change clocks?
Twice a year, as Americans set their clocks forward or back for the tradition of daylight saving time, rumors resurface that the change might soon end.
In 2025, at least 35 states considered bills related to the daylight savings tradition, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“State legislatures continue to grapple with the vexing and multifaceted state policy questions regarding the biannual changing of clocks,” according to the NCSL.
In January, Mississippi lawmakers introduced a bill to make daylight saving time the new standard time year-round.
So, could 2026 finally be the last year for the daylight saving time tradition in Mississippi? Here’s what to know.
When does daylight saving time start in 2026?
This year, daylight saving time starts at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8, according to timeanddate.com. This means Mississippians will turn their clocks forward one hour.
Why do we change clocks?
The tradition of daylight saving time — setting clocks forward by one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall — was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1784, according to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Formally adopted during World War 1, the tradition was an attempt to conserve energy by making use of longer sunlight hours in the warmer months.
Today, some critics believe it actually uses more energy as people turn on air conditioning during extended daylight hours.
What is Mississippi HB 279?
Introduced during the Mississippi 2026 Regular Session, HB 279 is a bill to make daylight saving time the standard time for the whole year.
The bill died in committee Feb. 3, but even if it had passed, it could only take effect if federal law was amended to authorize states to observe daylight saving time year round.
Will Congress end daylight saving time in 2026?
It’s possible. Right now, five daylight saving time-related bills have been introduced in Congress.
The most popular of the bills is the Sunshine Protection Act, introduced in 2025 by Rep. Vern Buchanan. The bill would make daylight saving time the permanent standard time and allow states already exempt from the tradition to choose which standard time they will follow.
Two states — Hawaii and Arizona — do not observe daylight saving time, according to the United States Astronomical Applications Department.
The Sunshine Protection Act was last referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Jan. 3, 2025.
