(NEXSTAR) – The United States is moving closer to a return to permanent daylight saving time after the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act earlier this month.
If the Senate approves the measure and President Trump signs it into law, the change could noticeably alter how winter days feel across the country.
The Sunshine Protection Act would put states on daylight saving time all year unless they choose to opt out. In practical terms, clocks would no longer “fall back” in November under the current seasonal time change system.
For most Americans, that would mean both sunrises and sunsets would happen later from early November through early March. The extra evening daylight may sound appealing, but darker winter mornings were a major point of frustration the last time the U.S. tried permanent daylight saving time.
In many parts of the U.S., winter sunsets would shift to after 5 p.m., a welcome change for people who currently watch the sun go down during the 4 o’clock hour. The tradeoff would come in the morning: sunrises would often occur after 8 a.m., and in some places after 9 a.m. In Juneau, Alaska, the sun would not rise until after 11 a.m. during part of the year.
Across the Lower 48, the shift would be less extreme in many cities. Las Vegas, for instance, would see its latest winter sunrise under permanent daylight saving time at 7:52 a.m. In Los Angeles, the latest sunrise would be 7:59 a.m.
The interactive table below breaks down how many winter days would have sunrises after 8 a.m. — or after 9 a.m. in some locations — if permanent daylight saving time takes effect. The right-hand columns also show each location’s latest winter sunrise and earliest possible sunset.
Some cities wouldn’t ever see a sunrise after 8 a.m. In Nashville, for example, the latest sunrise under permanent daylight saving time would be 7:58 a.m. In New Orleans, it would be 7:57 a.m.
Grand Rapids, Michigan; Indianapolis; and Louisville, Kentucky, the sun would rise after 8 a.m. for more than 140 days of winter. In Grand Rapids, 55 of those sunrises would happen after 9 a.m., with the latest occurring at 9:14 a.m.
The early sunrises may not bother those who prefer the other change permanent daylight saving time brings: later sunsets in winter.
In Grand Rapids, the earliest the sun sets now is 5:08 p.m. Under permanent daylight saving time, the sun would set no sooner than 6:08 p.m. Across much of the U.S., sunsets would happen no sooner than 6:30 p.m.
Not everyone supports the shift to permanent daylight saving time, though. Many health experts agree that if we’re going to stop changing the clocks, it should be on permanent standard time. It could impact how thousands practice their religion. It could have “considerable implications” on your future flights, at least temporarily.
It’s difficult to say when, if ever, the Senate will pick up the Sunshine Protection Act. Efforts by the Senate to fast-track its version were thwarted.
Congress is also considering two bills in the House that would give states the option to observe year-round daylight saving time, a bill to make half-daylight saving time permanent, and a newly introduced bill to make standard time permanent, with exceptions.
