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When do we turn the clock back in Oregon?

Vaseline October 28, 2024

Oregonians will turn their clocks back one hour on Sunday, despite the state passing legislation in 2019 to make daylight saving time permanent.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate that would make daylight saving time permanent was approved in that chamber but has since stalled in the U.S. House.

Legislation introduced in the Oregon Senate to establish permanent Pacific Standard Time failed to pass during the 2024 session. Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, who introduced the bill, said at the time that she would reintroduce it during the 2025 legislative session.

This is why we still turn back our clocks and the future of daylight saving time.

When does daylight saving time end in 2024?

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 3 at 2 a.m. People will turn their clock back an hour, gaining an hour of sleep. The sun will also rise earlier and set earlier.

Will Oregon ever stay on daylight saving time permanently?

Oregon passed legislation in 2019 to stop turning back the clock and operating under daylight saving time, but is awaiting approval from Congress.

In addition, Thatcher introduced Senate Bill 1548 in the 2024 Oregon Legislature, saying it was the state’s best chance to end the practice of switching from standard time to daylight saving time in the spring and then back to standard time in the fall .

The bill was amended to include a requirement that California and Washington also adopt year-round standard time by 2034 before the bill could go into effect.

The bill passed the Senate, but was sent to the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans and did not receive a vote. Thatcher said at the time that she would reintroduce the proposal during the 2025 parliamentary term.

What is the status of the Sunshine Protection Act in Congress?

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act in 2023, which would make daylight saving time permanent, and is one of 18 co-sponsors of the bill.

The bill was approved in the Senate, but has since stalled in the House of Representatives.

A spokesperson for Wyden said that while they cannot predict the bill’s future in the House of Representatives, “Senator Wyden is not giving up.”

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, who is not a co-sponsor of the legislation, said through spokesperson Molly Prescott that he is listening to Oregonians who prefer standard time or daylight saving time. He has also heard concerns from experts about how a sunrise after 8 a.m. could impact schoolchildren and sleep cycles if Oregon were to move to permanent daylight saving time.

“Ultimately, this is a complex issue with important considerations for any potential path forward, both for state legislators and for the senator at the federal level,” Prescott said.

A history of daylight saving time

Every year, Americans adjust to darker mornings and lighter evenings attributed to daylight saving time, then do the opposite by returning to standard time during the colder months. Variations on this practice have existed in the US for over 100 years.

Daylight saving time was established in 1918 by the Standard Time Act to conserve energy during World War I. Then, in 1966, the Uniform Time Act standardized this time, splitting the year into six months of standard time and six months of daylight saving time.

Daylight saving time was once permanent; Americans hated it

In the winter of 1974, daylight saving time became permanent with the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act, a two-year experiment proposed to combat the national energy crisis. Yet it was so unpopular among Americans that it lasted less than a year.

The permanent time change was rescinded due to complaints that “daylight time in the winter months posed dangers to children attending school after dark and that the energy savings were minuscule,” according to Statesman Journal archives.

What’s the drama between standard time and daylight saving time?

On the one hand, people who support daylight saving time want to enjoy sunlight longer in the evenings, while opponents say lighter mornings make more sense for agricultural purposes, people commuting and parents sending their children to school.

A 2019 survey found that of the 72% of Americans who want to eliminate biannual time changes, 40% would prefer permanent standard time and 31% would prefer permanent daylight saving time.

Another survey conducted by YouGov Poll found that 62% of Americans wanted to eliminate time changes for good, while half of them preferred daylight saving time.

When does daylight saving time start in 2025?

On Sunday, March 9, 2025, people will set their clocks forward one hour at 2 a.m. Daylight saving time lasts until Sunday, November 2, 2025.

Statesman Journal reporters Capi Lynn and Dianne Lugo contributed to this report.

Ginnie Sandoval is the Oregon Connect reporter for the Statesman Journal. Sandoval can be reached at GSandoval@gannett.com or press X to @Ginny Sandoval.