Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are considering a bipartisan bill that would establish permanent standard time across the United States. The "Sunshine for Our Kids Act of 2026" would end the practice of changing clocks twice a year by keeping the country on the time currently observed from November through March. As of late July, the proposal had nearly a dozen cosponsors.
This legislation follows the House's passage of the Sunshine Protection Act in July, which proposed the opposite approach: making daylight saving time permanent. While both bills seek to end the seasonal clock change, they differ on whether to keep the extra hour of evening light in the summer or the extra hour of morning light in the winter. Health experts cited by Nexstar report that standard time is better for human health, specifically for the melatonin system, though previous attempts to make time shifts permanent in the 1970s failed due to public pushback regarding late winter sunrises.
Under the permanent standard time proposal, summer days would see sunrises and sunsets occur one hour earlier than they do currently. An analysis by Nexstar of 34 cities shows that most locations would see the sun set during the 7 p.m. hour during the summer months. For example, in Austin, Texas, the latest sunset would move to 7:37 p.m., and in Chicago, the latest sunset would be 7:30 p.m. In the continental U.S., Grand Rapids, Michigan, would have the latest sunset at 8:26 p.m.
The change would impact daily routines, including evening recreation, outdoor business operations, and morning commutes. Supporters of standard time, including health experts, argue the shift provides necessary morning light exposure. However, the move would eliminate the 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. sunsets currently enjoyed by many households during June, July, and August. In cities like Buffalo, New York, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the number of summer days with sunsets after 8 p.m. would drop from their current levels to zero.
The success of this bill remains uncertain because the House has already passed a competing measure, the Sunshine Protection Act, which favors permanent daylight saving time. Additionally, Congress is reviewing two other House bills that would allow states the option to choose permanent daylight saving time, and a separate bill proposing "half-daylight saving time." No final vote date for the Sunshine for Our Kids Act has been reported, and the specific effective date for a national transition is currently unknown.