‘Fall Back’: Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday amid push for permanent change
- Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025, as clocks “fall back” one hour.
- At least 20 states, including Mississippi, have passed measures to adopt permanent daylight saving time, but the change requires federal approval.
- The Sunshine Protection Act, which would enact permanent daylight saving time nationally, was reintroduced in Congress in 2025 after stalling in previous sessions.
Most Americans, including Mississippians, will gain an hour of sleep this weekend as Daylight Saving Time ends, but the twice-yearly ritual continues amid a growing debate in state legislatures and Congress over whether to stop changing the clocks permanently.
Daylight Saving Time, the practice of setting clocks forward one hour in the spring, concludes at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 2. Clocks will “fall back” one hour, returning the U.S. to standard time until March 2026.
The change affects 48 states and the District of Columbia. Hawaii and most of Arizona already observe permanent standard time and do not change their clocks.
While the practice has been in place for more than 50 years under the Uniform Time Act of 1966, at least 45 states have considered or passed legislation to alter the system.
The Push for Permanent Daylight Time
Twenty states have passed laws or resolutions to observe daylight saving time permanently. However, these measures cannot take effect without a change in federal law. While federal law allows states to opt out of daylight saving time and remain on standard time year-round (as Arizona and Hawaii have done), it does not permit them to adopt daylight saving time indefinitely.
The push for change has reached the federal level multiple times. The Sunshine Protection Act, which would move the U.S. to permanent daylight saving time, has been introduced in Congress repeatedly since 2018.
In 2021, the bill famously passed the Senate by unanimous consent but died in the House. It was reintroduced most recently in 2025, though its future remains uncertain.
Proponents of a permanent shift argue it would provide more daylight in the evenings, which they say could reduce crime, save energy, and improve economic activity.
A Brief History of Time Change
Daylight saving was first implemented nationally in 1918 during World War I as a fuel-saving measure, allowing for more work to be done by daylight. The measure was repealed after the war, re-enacted during World War II, and then repealed again.
The system Americans are familiar with today was established by the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The most recent adjustment came from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which extended the current Daylight Saving Time schedule to run from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
Does DST Actually Save Energy?
While the original goal was energy conservation, modern studies show mixed results.
- A 1974 Department of Transportation study found no conclusive difference in energy usage during the time shift.
- A 2008 Department of Energy study showed that the 2005 extension of DST resulted in a minimal energy consumption drop of 0.02%.
- Conversely, some reports have highlighted negative health impacts. A 2020 academic study cited by the Congressional Research Service found evidence of a small increase in heart attacks during the transitions to and from daylight saving time.
For now, the ritual continues. After Sunday, the next time change will occur when Daylight Saving Time begins again on Sunday, March 8, 2026.
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