Permanent daylight saving time?

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Express-News reports if state politicians get their way, when Texans set their clocks back Nov. 3, it could be the last time they must complete the chore — recently passed legislation aims to exempt the state from the biannual daylight saving time change. State Rep. Will Metcalf from Conroe presented House Bill 1422 during a meeting of the 88th Legislative Session on April 11, 2023. The bill that would keep Texas on daylight saving time year-round passed 136-5. Metcalf did not respond to a request for comment, but while explaining the bill he said he believes Texas should, “stick to a time without switching twice a year which allows for maximum amount of daylight in the evenings and I know countless others feel the same way.”

As of May 2023 the bill remained in the Senate, and Texas would need federal approval before it could shift to permanent daylight saving time. For now, states can opt-out daylight saving time but require federal approval to observe it year-round, which is the goal of Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s Sunshine Protection Act. Daylight saving time was established in the U.S. during World War I to save electricity, according to the National Sleep Foundation. When Americans change their clocks every March and November altering the timing of light exposure, Candice A. Alfano, director of the Sleep and Anxiety Center of Houston, said it can stress a person’s biological and psychological health. Not only is falling asleep and waking up harder after a clock change, Alfano said a growing body of research suggests that the risk of heart attacks, traffic accidents, job-related injuries, suicides and even miscarriages in pregnant women also increase.