HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) – Over the summer, a lot of interest was created when the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill introduced by Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. The bill would make Daylight Saving Time permanent starting in 2023, something that many have wanted for years.
The bill passed the Senate, but in order to come law it has to also be passed by the House of Representatives and then signed into law by the President. So far, the House has not shown too much interest in moving the bill forward.
As a result, on Sunday, November 6 at 2 a.m., we’ll once again set the clocks back one hour.
So why make DST permanent? Well, those in favor argue that the later sunsets and more sunlight we would see in the evening would promote economic activity, Kids could play outside later in the evenings, when it is still light out. People would have more time outside in the daylight after work for activities.
Of course, like most arguments, there’s a flip side. The main argument against the proposal is if we went to permanent DST, kids would have to stand in the dark at the bus stop.
For Hampton Roads – our latest sunrise is at 7:33 a.m. in early November, specifically November 5, the day before the time change. If we stayed on permanent DST, our latest sunrise would actually be later.
If we did not fall back, sunrise in Norfolk would be after 8 a.m. from December 2 until February 8.
Of course, our sunsets would be later if we did away with DST and just never set the clocks back. Right now, our earliest sunset is 4:48 p.m. during the first week of December. If we stayed on permanent DST, it would be 5:48 p.m.
Interestingly enough, in Virginia, a bill was introduced in the 2022 session that would exempt Virginia from Daylight Saving Time – similar to what Arizona and Hawaii do now. The bill did not make it out of committee.
America is also not the only country to observe DST. TimeandDate.com says over 70 countries worldwide observe DST, with the exact dates differing country to country.
This Sunday, at 2 a.m., we’ll once again switch the clocks back – leading to a few days or a week of our bodies being a little off. Will it be the last time? Seems unlikely as of now, but perhaps there is some hope.
