The month of March marks the time of year for Americans to begin thinking of turning their clocks forward for the start of Daylight Saving Time.
This year, Daylight Saving Time will begin on Sunday, March 10, when Americans in a majority of states will set their clocks forward at 2 a.m. local time.
"Daylight Saving Time ("DST") is the practice of moving the clocks forward one hour from Standard Time during the summer months and changing them back again in the fall," Almanac.com states.
According to Almanac.com, Daylight Saving Time in the spring seeks to have people get more time using natural daylight, which is seen by moving clocks forward by one hour. In November, Daylight Saving Time ends, and Americans gain another hour by moving the clocks back.
On March 10, the loss of one hour due to Daylight Saving Time will result in the time of sunrise and sunset being around one hour later than normal, allowing for more light in the evening hours.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), Daylight Saving Time was first implemented in the U.S. in 1918 following the passage of the Standard Time Act, which sought to allow "additional daylight hours to be added into the day to help save energy costs during World War I."
The act was later repealed by Congress and in 1942, during World War II, Congress passed another Daylight Saving Time act, "to help conserve fuel and 'promote national security and defense,' which is why it was nicknamed 'war time,'" the DOD states.
In 1966, Congress passed Uniform Time Act, creating a standard time across the nation, and established Daylight Saving Time on the last Sunday in April until the end of October.
"Portions of the law have been changed a few times since, including to the dates when the 'spring' forward and 'fall' back happen," the DOD states on its website." The current policy was implemented by President George W. Bush in 2005, extending daylight saving time by a few weeks. It now starts on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November."
In 2022, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which sought to make Daylight Saving Time permanent throughout the U.S. However, the legislation, which was proposed by Florida Senator Marco Rubio, faced headwind in the House and has yet to have any movement since.
Rubio called for further action to be taken on his legislation this week and said, "We're 'springing forward' but should have never 'fallen back.' My Sunshine Protection Act would end this stupid practice of changing our clocks back and forth."
States that do not follow Daylight Saving Time include Arizona and Hawaii, as well as the territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
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