Daylight saving: Why these two states didn’t change their clocks this morning

(NEXSTAR) — If you’re reading this, you (hopefully) got a little extra sleep last night. Or maybe, you had a rude awakening, waking up an hour earlier than you expected. 

It’s all thanks to daylight saving time. 

At 2 a.m. Sunday, our phones, laptops, TVs, smartwatches, and any other clock connected to the Internet switched back to 1 a.m. as daylight saving time ended. 

But, for residents in two states, it’s just another Sunday morning. 

Hawaii and most of Arizona stay in one time zone year-round, meaning they don’t switch their clocks in March and November like the rest of us. 

Since 1968, Arizona has observed Mountain Standard Time year-round, with the exception of the Navajo Nation. For Arizona, the decision was based largely on the amount of sun the state already gets. 

If you’ve ever been to Arizona, it’s easy to understand why they prefer the nighttime hours to come a little sooner in the summer. As The Arizona Republic explains, by remaining on Mountain Standard Time year-round, the sun sets earlier (at least according to the clocks), providing some relief on a hot summer day. 

It’s the sun that keeps Hawaii from switching the clocks, too. 

Because Hawaii is so close to the equator, there isn’t much difference in how much sun they see throughout the year. And why bother “saving” daylight when you already get so much of it?

If you live in a state that also sees high temperatures and lots of sun — say, Texas, Nevada, or Florida — you may be wondering why you can’t lock your clocks. 

Under the Uniform Time Act, there are only two ways the U.S. can ditch daylight saving time changes. Either Congress has to enact a federal law, or a state or local government has to get permission from the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to stay on permanent standard time — which is what the U.S. observes between November and March — not permanent daylight saving time.

This year alone, lawmakers in nearly 30 states have tried to put an end to changing the clocks, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In most cases, those efforts have failed or stalled. 

As of September 2023, states that have enacted legislation or resolutions within the last year include Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. Kentucky and Mississippi have approved legislation, while Massachusetts has commissioned studies on the matter. Voters in California authorized a change last year, but no legislative action was taken. 

All of those states are hoping for year-round daylight saving time. But, without Congressional action, residents in those states will still be changing their clocks twice a year. 

That’s not to say Congress hasn’t tried to lock the clocks. 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023, which would make daylight saving time permanent; Rep. Mike Rogers submitted a bill to give states the power to stay on daylight saving time year-round; and Rep. Ralph Norman brought forth a similar bill. 

All three were referred to committees, where they have remained since March. The chairs of the committees in which those bills have stalled did not immediately respond to Nexstar’s request for comment. 

Unless Congress is able to pass a bill soon, we’ll “spring forward” on March 10. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.