Daylight savings ends in November. Why is it still around and what's the status of the Sunshine Protection Act?

At 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, most of the country will set their clocks back an hour and likely gain an hour of sleep.

The time shift, also referred to as “spring forward, fall back,” causes sleep disruption for Americans and requires some to manually correct clocks to the appropriate hour.

For those frustrated by the biannual shifts, there is hope as legislation has been introduced to prevent the end of daylight savings as the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill called the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022. Reintroduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, the act would permanently extend daylight saving time for the entire year. However, the measure has not yet been signed into law by President Joe Biden as it hasn't yet been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, where it was "held at the desk."

Below are some commonly asked questions about the time shift.

What is the Sunshine Protection Act?

The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from just eight months to the entire year. in January 2021, Rep. Vern Buchanan first introduced the bill, which was reintroduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and seven other bipartisan members of Congress in March 2022.

The measure, which would make daylight saving time permanent across the country, still needs to be passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law by President Joe Biden.

For more information on the Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 bill from congress.gov click here.

Did the Sunshine Protection Act pass?

The Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 passed the Florida Legislature, but the state needs Congress approval and the U.S. House has not passed the law.

Rubio sponsored the bill in the Senate while Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, filed the House companion bills. In 2021, Rubio introduced it and in 2022, the House "held at the desk" meaning they never voted on it, according to the bill on congress.gov.

On March 2, 2023, 12 U.S. senators reintroduced legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent, nearly a year after the Senate voted unanimously to do so.

“Changing our clocks twice a year is inconvenient and entirely unnecessary. It's time to end this antiquated practice,” Buchanan said in a March 3 news release, just over a week before daylight saving time started for 2023.

Did the Sunshine Protection Act of 2023 pass?

On March 1, 2023, Rubio’s bill was introduced and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. An identical bill by Buchanan was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce the same day, then referred to the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce on March 10.

When did federal time changes start?

The Standard Time Act of 1918 was the first law to implement standard and daylight saving times at the federal level.

"Federal oversight of time zones began in 1918 with the enactment of the Standard Time Act, which vested the Interstate Commerce Commission with the responsibility for establishing boundaries between the standard time zones in the U.S.," according to The U.S. Department of Transportation. "This responsibility was transferred from the Interstate Commerce Commission to DOT when Congress created DOT in 1966."

When was daylight saving time 2023?

This year's daylight saving time began at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12.

When is daylight saving time 2024?

After ending this November, daylight saving time will return at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 10, 2024, and last until Sunday, Nov. 3, two days before the 2024 election.

Who is in charge of daylight saving time?

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the observance of daylight saving time as well as U.S. time zones, according to transportation.gov. The DOT said energy reduction and reduced crime are reasons for having both standard and daylight saving time.

Which states don't observe daylight saving time?

Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize daylight savings time as well as territories Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

How many countries observe daylight saving time?

More than 70 countries in the world observe daylight saving time, however the start and end dates can differ.

Less than 40% of countries globally still observe daylight savings time switches, despite over 140 countries implementing them previously, according to Statistica.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sunshine Protection Act 2023: When does daylight savings time end?