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If Congress changes federal law and Texas adopts permanent daylight saving time, Austinites would no longer change their clocks every March and November.
Instead, Austin would keep the same daylight schedule it experiences during the summer all year. That means no more "falling back" each November, but it would also shift sunrise and sunset times during the winter months.
According to AccuWeather, under permanent daylight saving time, Austin's latest winter sunrise would be 8:28 a.m., while its earliest winter sunset would be 6:30 p.m.
For comparison, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac, the sun currently rises in Austin at 6:39 a.m. and sets at 8:34 p.m. during the summer.
Texas could only make that change if Congress approves the Sunshine Protection Act and it is signed by President Donald Trump. The U.S. House approved the measure July 14 in a 308-117 vote, sending it to the Senate.
Texas is already positioned to make the switch. House Bill 1393, known as the "Texas Time" bill, passed the Texas Legislature and is awaiting Gov. Greg Abbott's signature. However, the bill cannot take effect unless Congress changes federal law to allow states to permanently observe daylight saving time.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
The idea of daylight saving time dates to World War I, when Germany and Austria first adopted it in 1916 to conserve resources during the war. The United States followed in 1918.
Benjamin Franklin is sometimes associated with the idea because of a satirical 1784 letter suggesting people wake earlier to take advantage of daylight. He wrote: "Every morning, as soon as the sun rises, let all the bells in every church be set ringing."
What would permanent daylight saving time mean for Texas?
If Congress changes federal law and Texas adopts permanent daylight saving time, the state would no longer change its clocks every March and November.
Sunrise and sunset times would also shift throughout the year. Daylight saving time currently begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, when clocks move forward one hour in the spring and back one hour in the fall.
Below is a graphic showing how sunrise and sunset times would change across Texas and the U.S. if the Sunshine Protection Act becomes law.
Read this story on statesman.com
