Which US States Have Passed Year-Round Daylight Saving Time Laws?

The US House of Representatives passed H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, on 14 July 2026 by 308 votes to 117. The bill would make daylight saving time (DST) permanent and end the twice-yearly clock change. Nineteen states have enacted laws for year-round DST, but these laws stay dormant because federal law does not permit it. The Senate has yet to take up the bill.

What Happened in Congress?

Representative Vern Buchanan (Republican, Florida) introduced THE H.R. 139 on 3rd of January 2025. It was included in the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act, which cleared the House Energy and Commerce Committee by 48 votes to 1. The House then passed it on 14 July 2026. =

The Senate has also received the bill on 15th of July 2026 and referred it to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

The Senate returned on 14th of September after a five-week recess, but no vote has been scheduled. Congress is due to leave for the another recess on 5th of October, and clocks fall back on 1 November.

If the Senate approves the House version unchanged, the bill goes to President Donald Trump, who has publicly backed it. Any Senate amendment would send it back to the House.

Why State Laws Cannot Take Effect

The main obstacle is the Uniform Time Act of 1966. This federal law sets the framework for US time zones and for seasonal clock changes.

• Standard time is allowed: states may stay on standard time all year. Arizona and Hawaii do this.
• Permanent DST is not allowed: a state cannot adopt year-round DST without federal consent.
• Trigger clauses: all 19 state laws take effect only after Congress changes the federal rules.
• Neighbour conditions: some laws are tied to neighbouring states. Delaware’s law depends on Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland acting too. Idaho’s law for its northern part depends on Washington.

States With Permanent DST Laws

Florida was the first state to act, in 2018. Eighteen others have since passed laws, resolutions or trigger provisions. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) counts 19 in total.

• First state: Florida (2018)
• Total states: 19
• Other states: Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington
• Effect of these laws: None until Congress changes federal law

What the Bill Would Change

H.R. 139 would repeal the section of the Uniform Time Act that sets the annual DST period. It would also move each federal time zone forward by one hour and make that hour the new legal standard. Clocks would no longer move back in November. Law Commentary

Arizona and Hawaii, which stay on the standard time year-round, would keep their exemptions from this. Whether other states could opt out is described differently across reports. Some say state legislatures could choose permanent standard time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says the bill does not allow this. Legalunitedstates

Earlier Attempts

Congress has tried before. On 15 March 2022, the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021, but the House did not act. The bill was reintroduced in 2025. The current vote is the first time the House has passed a Sunshine Protection Act. timeanddate

Static Facts Related to US Time Laws

Aspect	Details
Federal law on time zones and DST	Uniform Time Act of 1966
States on year-round standard time	Arizona, Hawaii
Bill number	H.R. 139 (119th Congress)
House sponsor	Vern Buchanan (Republican, Florida)
House vote	308–117 (Roll Call 238, 14 July 2026)
Senate committee	Commerce, Science, and Transportation
Next clock change	1 November 2026