Summer time: When and why we still use summer time
The United States introduced daylight saving time in 1918, following efforts by Germany and Great Britain to save energy during World War I.
Scott L. Hall, USA TODAY
Two days before the election of the next US president, daylight saving time ends in Kansas.
Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 3, when the clocks for Kansas residents will go back one hour.
On November 5, US voters will then choose between the country’s two presidential candidates, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.
Why does daylight saving time exist?
Residents of the Sunflower State have been observing daylight saving time this year since early March, when they performed their annual “time change” ritual by setting their clocks forward one hour in the spring.
In autumn, residents set their clocks back one hour.
Daylight saving time covers about eight months of the year, the rest of the time is called “standard time”.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is responsible for daylight saving time in the United States
Daylight saving time serves, among other things, to save energy and fuel and to make better use of sunlight.
Proponents say this will also reduce crime.
What is the history of daylight saving time?
According to timeanddate.com, daylight saving time was first introduced in Thunder Bay (Canada) in 1908; Germany and Austria were the first countries to introduce it in 1916.
During World War I and World War II, the United States temporarily introduced daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time became the national standard in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act.
This law allows states to opt out of observing daylight saving time, but requires states that do observe daylight saving time to begin and end it on the dates prescribed by the state.
In 2005, the Federal Government passed the Energy Policy Act 2005, which sets the start and end dates of daylight saving time.
In which states is there no daylight saving time?
With the exception of the Navajo Nation, Hawaii and Arizona do not observe daylight saving time.
Daylight saving time also does not apply in the five territories that make up the USA.
These are Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Mariana Islands.
Why was daylight saving time almost abolished?
In March 2022, U.S. lawmakers took a step toward permanently abolishing daylight saving time when the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would have implemented this measure.
But the U.S. House of Representatives never put the bill to a vote, meaning it was not forwarded to President Joe Biden.
A version of the Sunshine Protection Act from 2023 also remained unused in Congress.
A central point of contention was whether to switch to summer time permanently or to switch to standard time all year round instead.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.
