With fall officially upon us, daylight hours are waning and daylight saving time is nearing an end.
The autumnal equinox, also referred to as the September or fall equinox, arrives at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22, for the Northern Hemisphere, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.
So when exactly will you gain that extra hour of sleep in Illinois? Also, could daylight saving time be made permanent, or potentially abolished permanently?
Answers to those questions are below.
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When Does Daylight Saving Time End?
Under current federal law, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March, and ends on the first Sunday in November.
This year, the first Sunday in November falls on Nov. 7, giving Illinois residents an extra hour of sleep. Daylight saving time in 2022 will begin on March 13.
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Could Daylight Saving Time be Observed Permanently in Illinois?
The question of whether to permanently spring clocks forward or to permanently roll them back has been an ongoing conversation ever since Congress codified daylight saving time in the 1960’s, and Illinois has seen pushes on both sides of the spectrum to keep residents on one set time year-round.
According to the Peoria Journal-Star, at least four state representatives, including Democratic Reps. Bob Morgan and Michael Zalewski and Republican Reps. Adam Niemberg and Thomas Morrison, filed bills in the last year to make daylight saving time permanent in the state.
There is a catch, however.
Under federal law, states must receive Congressional approval to adopt year-round daylight saving time. According to The Old Farmer's Almanac, at least 15 states, including Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington, have all passed bills to permanently spring forward, but have not been given federal approval to permanently move their clocks forward an hour.
Bills have been proposed at the federal level to move clocks forward by an hour permanently across the country, but none have been passed by either chamber of Congress.
Could Daylight Saving Time be Permanently Ended?
If a state were to choose to observe standard time year round, it would not be subject to Congressional approval.
Currently, two states observe standard time throughout the year, with Hawaii and Arizona both opting to do so shortly after Congress passed bills to set the schedule for daylight saving time in the 1960’s.
Indiana previously did not observe daylight saving time on a statewide basis, but changed its law in 2006.
In Illinois, Republican Reps. Tim Butler and Bob Welter both proposed legislation that would lead Illinois to observe standard time throughout the year, but the bills have not come up for votes in the legislature.
