Daylight saving time: when and why we still ‘fall back’ for DST
The United States began daylight saving time in 1918, copying efforts by Germany and Britain to save energy during WWI.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
Daylight Saving Time in Kansas will end two days before the United States elects its next chief executive.
DST comes to a halt at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, when time will “fall back” one hour for Kansas residents.
U.S. voters on Nov. 5 will then choose between this nation’s two presidential candidates, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, a Republican.
Why does Daylight Saving Time exist?
Sunflower State residents this year have been observing DST since early March, when they carried out their annual ritual of “springing forward” by setting clocks ahead one hour in the spring.
Residents then “fall back” by setting their clocks back one hour in the fall.
DST encompasses roughly eight months of the year, with the rest being called “standard time.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation is in charge of DST in the U.S.
DST exists for purposes that include conserving energy and fuel and making better use of sunlight.
Proponents say it also reduces crime.
What’s the history of Daylight Saving Time?
DST was first used in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Canada, according to timeanddate.com, which says Germany and Austria then became the first countries to use it in 1916.
The U.S. temporarily put DST in place during World War I and World War II.
DST became a national standard in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act.
That act allows states to exempt themselves from observing DST but requires those that do observe it to begin and end it on the federally mandated dates.
The federal government in 2005 approved the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which establishes the dates DST begins and ends.
What states don’t observe Daylight Saving Time?
DST isn’t observed by Hawaii and Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation.
The five territories the U.S. maintains also don’t observe DST.
Those are Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Mariana Islands.
Why did Daylight Saving Time almost get quashed?
U.S. lawmakers took a step toward putting a permanent end to DST in March 2022 when the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would have done that.
But the U.S. House of Representatives never put that bill to a vote, meaning it wasn’t forwarded to President Joe Biden.
A 2023 version of the Sunshine Protection Act remained idle in Congress as well.
A key point of contention involved whether to switch to permanent DST or transition instead to year-round standard time.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.
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Publish date : 2024-09-10 22:18:00
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