It’s almost that time of year when the clocks change as Daylight Saving Time begins across the United States.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) signals the end of winter and it sees the clocks move forward by one hour so that the public has an extra hour of daylight. This becomes useful as the days get longer toward the summer months.
However, despite the clocks changing twice a year, some might need guidance on when and where DST will take place.
A Rolex clock during the first round of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course on January 25, 2023, in La Jolla, California. Daylight Saving Time will come into effect on March 12, 2023, at 2 a.m. Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images
When Do Clocks Go Forward? Daylight Saving Time 2023
In 2023, DST will begin on Sunday, March 12, at 2 a.m., and it will go on until the clocks change back to Standard Time on Sunday, November 5, at 2 a.m., so on March 12, 2 a.m. will become 3 a.m. and we will lose one hour of sleep. When Standard Time begins, the opposite will happen and we will gain an hour.
Why Do Clocks Go Forward?
DST is generally accepted as a way to save energy and daylight during the spring and summer months, as the “extra” hour means people have more daylight hours to do outdoor activities and use less energy in their homes.
DST was introduced in the U.S. with the Standard Time Act of 1918, but it might not be kept moving forward.
Will Daylight Saving Time Become Permanent?
In March 2022, the Sunshine Protection Act was passed by the U.S. Senate, which could make DST permanent as time would no longer change twice a year.
The bill would need to be approved by the House before it can be signed into law by President Joe Biden. But the bill was not voted on by the 117th Congress, so it seems unlikely to happen soon.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives told Newsweek in April 2022 that the Sunshine Protection Act “is currently held at the speaker’s desk.”
Asked whether there was a timeline for when the bill might be reviewed and voted on by the House, the spokesperson said: “The legislative agenda is determined by House Leadership.”
Which States Don’t Follow Daylight Saving Time?
Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t change the clocks, although the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona does so it can have a uniform time with parts of Navajo territory in Utah and New Mexico.
U.S. territories American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands, the Northern Marina Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also don’t observe DST.
