Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday

Are you ready to “spring forward” tonight? 

Much of the nation, including Mississippi, will add one hour overnight, officially at about 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12, when we move back into Daylight Saving Time.  We will stay on Daylight Saving Time, or DST, until Sunday, Nov. 5, when we will “fall back” to standard time once again. 

There are moves to make DST a permanent part of our lives, however. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi) recently threw her support to a bill authored by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida) called the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023 (S.582) that would keep Daylight Saving Time for all 12 months of the year. 

Rubio offered the same bill last year and it passed the Senate, but it was never brought up for consideration in the House of Representatives.  With Republicans now in control of the House, many believe the bill has more of a chance for passage.  

Notable states that would be affected if the change goes into effect are Hawaii and most of Arizona. Hawaii operates in its time zone that does not change and much of Arizona stays in the Mountain Standard Time zone for the entire year. Indiana at one time had fought the time change, starting in 1970, until 2006, when Daylight Saving Time was put back into effect.  

In Mississippi, House Bill 1062 was approved in 2021 to make the change permanent if the Federal Government makes the change.  It was passed on a near-unanimous vote in the House and was unanimous in the Senate, followed by its signing by Gov. Tate Reeves, so the Magnolia State will move to one time zone with no change the entire year if something like Sen. Rubio’s bill becomes law.

If you don’t like making the time change, you’re not alone. A poll published in November 2021 showed 43 percent would prefer Standard Time all year and 32 percent would prefer Daylight Saving Time all year. Twenty-five percent said they don’t mind the switching back and forth.  

Fire officials also use the time change to remind you to check the batteries of your smoke detectors as you change your clocks, the change commonly used is, “Change your clocks, Check your batteries.”

So, on your marks, get set, “Spring Forward.” You’ll lose an hour of sleep tonight but the sun will still be up later in the evening for the spring and summer months before we “Fall Back” again in November.