MERIDIAN, Miss. (Queen City Newsfeed) – Good news, sleepyheads. The time change is this weekend, and you get an extra hour of sleep. Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. At that moment, clocks across East Central Mississippi will fall back to 1 a.m.
So before you go to bed Saturday night, set your clocks back one hour. Your phone will most likely change on its own. However, the clock on your stove, your microwave and your car probably will not.
Also, this is the earliest the fall time change can happen. Federal law says it falls on the first Sunday in November. This year, that Sunday is Nov. 1.
What changes for you
After the switch, mornings will be a little brighter. In Meridian, the sun will come up around 6:12 a.m. on Sunday.
However, evenings will get dark fast. Sunset will move to about 5:04 p.m. So if you walk, jog or work in the yard after work, plan ahead. Also, drivers should watch for kids and pets in the early dark.
This is also a good time to check your smoke alarms. While you are changing clocks, push the test button. Then swap out any weak batteries.
Wait, why do we do this?
Many people think farmers wanted daylight saving time. In fact, it was the other way around. Farmers were some of its biggest critics. Cows do not read clocks, after all.
Some people also give credit to Ben Franklin. In 1784, he wrote a joke letter about getting people up earlier to save money on candles. But he never asked anyone to change a clock.
The real reason was war. During World War I, Germany moved its clocks ahead to save fuel. Soon, other countries did the same.
When did it start here?
The United States joined in 1918. Congress passed the Standard Time Act that year. It set up our time zones and daylight saving time at the same time.
However, people did not like it much. Congress did away with it in 1919. It even overrode a veto from President Woodrow Wilson to do so.
Then World War II came along. Congress brought the clocks forward again in 1942. The country stayed on what it called “War Time” until 1945.
After the war, things got messy. Each state and town picked its own rules. So you could drive a short way and land in a different time.
Finally, Congress stepped in. President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act in 1966. It set the same start and end dates for the whole country. States could skip daylight saving time, but they could not stay on it all year.
Congress changed the dates a few more times. Since 2007, we spring forward on the second Sunday in March. Then we fall back on the first Sunday in November.
Fun fact: America already tried this
Believe it or not, the country already tried daylight saving time all year. Because of an oil shortage, Congress kept the clocks forward starting in January 1974.
But people did not like the dark winter mornings. Many complained about kids waiting for the bus in the dark. So Congress ended the test later that same year.
So what happened to the bill in Congress?
Now, about that plan to stop changing clocks. It is called the Sunshine Protection Act. The bill would make daylight saving time last all year. That means brighter evenings, but darker winter mornings.
On July 14, the U.S. House passed the bill by a vote of 308 to 117. President Donald Trump supports it.
However, the bill has stalled in the U.S. Senate. It needs 60 votes there to pass. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there is “no clear path forward” for it. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas also opposes it. He worries about very late sunrises and children going to school in the dark.
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana put it in plain terms. “It’s dead as disco,” he told Reuters.
Still, supporters have not given up. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida wants a vote after the Nov. 3 elections. But time is short. This session of Congress is expected to wrap up in December.
If the Senate does not act by then, the bill dies. Supporters would have to start over next year.
Also, this has happened before. In 2022, the Senate passed a similar bill. That time, the House never voted on it.
Not everyone agrees on the fix
Most people seem to agree on one thing. They are tired of changing the clocks. But they do not agree on which time to keep.
Supporters of the bill want more daylight after work and school. They say it could help businesses and cut down on crime and car crashes.
On the other hand, many sleep doctors want the opposite. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine supports keeping standard time all year. That way, mornings stay brighter in winter.
What it means for Mississippi
Mississippi has already picked a side. In 2021, state lawmakers passed House Bill 1062. Gov. Tate Reeves signed it into law.
The law says Mississippi will stay on daylight saving time all year. However, that only happens if Congress changes federal law first. Alabama has a similar law.
So for now, nothing has changed. Set your clocks back Saturday night and enjoy that extra hour. Then get ready to do it all again on March 14, 2027, when we spring forward.
