September is almost halfway over (as unbelievable as that may be). Fall has (unofficially) begun. The days are even starting to feel cooler (although there will probably be one last heatwave at some point).
You know what that means: It’s time to keep reminding everyone when daylight saving time is.
When the clocks change on Sunday, November 3, the days will get darker earlier. Whatever you think of this practice, at least this time change will give us an extra hour of sleep.
However, Pennsylvania residents may soon no longer have to follow daylight saving time rules. PennLive reported back in April 2021 that the state House of Representatives passed a bill by a vote of 103 to 98 that would abolish the practice entirely, making daylight saving time permanent.
But what would be the point? Well, the same PennLive article explained that various studies show that permanent daylight saving time brings a number of benefits, such as energy savings, fewer traffic accidents, less crime, and a generally healthier lifestyle for the population.
“I think this is a very positive reform for Pennsylvania going forward. Changing the clocks twice a year is incredibly inefficient and common practice,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Lehigh County), told PennLive.
“I think there is a movement towards some kind of permanent residency and I want to be a part of it.”
This idea is not limited to Pennsylvania: The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) – which, according to its information page, “represents the legislatures of the states, territories and Commonwealths of the United States” to “promote the effectiveness, independence and integrity of legislative bodies” – states that there have been at least 650 bills and applications in recent years advocating the introduction of year-round daylight saving time across the country.
By that date, another law will be passed that will decide this. So this year, daylight saving time will still end on this Sunday, November 3rd.
