Daylight savings starts soon, but when? And didn’t SC vote to end these time changes?

Daylight saving time is set to start this spring like usual.

But didn’t South Carolina and U.S. lawmakers vote to end these annual time changes?

It’s a bit complicated.

Daylight saving time is set to begin at 2 a.m. on March 12, requiring Americans to “spring forward” and set their clocks ahead one hour. We’ve been without daylight saving time since the last bout of it ended on Nov. 6.

The longstanding tradition of moving clocks ahead or back one hour each year has been the bane of many a sleep-deprived American for decades.

Didn’t SC vote to end daylight savings?

The South Carolina Legislature voted in 2020 to make daylight saving time permanent. That means the state would stop changing the clocks twice a year and would no longer have to endure darkness before dinner during the winter months. However, the law doesn’t take effect until Congress votes to end the time changes.

What has Congress done about daylight saving?

Congress tried last year to end the time changing, but hit a snag.

It’s true that the U.S. Senate on March 15, by unanimous consent passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021. There was much buzz over the bill at the time, given that it would make daylight saving time permanent starting on Nov. 5, 2023, that is, if the House and the president approved it.

As you can now probably guess, the bill was sent to the House, but nothing has been done with it since March 2022.

Why make daylight savings permanent?

The U.S. has had some form of daylight saving time since 1918, with the current federal policy being enacted in 1966. There have been a few changes since then, mainly with adjustments to the start and end dates.

Daylight saving time was originally enacted as a way to save energy by providing more daylight in the evening hours. Some studies have called such savings into question.

Other studies have shown impacts on people’s health because of the time changes.