Congress debates permanent daylight saving. What does it mean for California?
Nearly a decade after California voters approved a measure to pursue permanent daylight saving time, Congress could clear the way for the state to make the change through federal legislation.
The federal bill, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, would make daylight saving time permanent across the country. The legislation is expected to be heard by the House on Tuesday. It would also need to be approved by the Senate.
The measure is yet the latest attempt at the federal level to end the twice-yearly clock change. The bill has been reintroduced several times since 2018, but has failed to make it out of committee.
This time, the bill has the support of President Donald Trump who has personally lobbied GOP lawmakers, according to reporting from Politico. On Monday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the bill would be a “very nice WIN for the Republican Party” following its passing in the House rules committee.
“This is an easy one!” he wrote.
The twice-annual practice of switching clocks has been controversial for many years, with nearly all Americans against the biannual change, according to a 2025 AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey. The debate has also involved health factors with some sleep medicine specialists saying that a fixed standard time is more aligned with circadian rhythms.
Californian voters voted to end the time change in 2018 through Proposition 7, which gave the Legislature the authorization to switch to permanent daylight saving time as long as the state received approval from the federal government.
The ballot measure, which passed with nearly 60% of the vote, has not led to any meaningful movement in the California Legislature. Such legislation would need a two-thirds vote in both the Assembly and the Senate, along with the governor’s signature.
Hawaii and most of Arizona does not observe daylight saving time, instead opting to keep standard time year-round.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., co-sponsored a Senate version of the Sunshine Protection Act last year.
“Americans are sick of falling back and springing forward,” he said in a written statement at the time. “More daylight after work means more business and more active, safer California communities. Californians already voted years ago to lock the clock — and it’s past time for Congress to do the same.”
Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November across most of the United States. In 2026, clocks in California will “spring back” at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, moving behind by one hour.
This story was originally published July 14, 2026 at 12:04 PM.
