As another daylight saving time (DST) draws to an end Sunday morning, nearly half of U.S. states have moved towards permanent DST. The biannual clock shifting is a constant point of debate among Americans, with some preferring more daylight in the morning and others in the evening (as DST provides). Lawmakers or voters in 20 states have approved some form of permanent daylight saving time, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But states can only adopt permanent DST with an act of Congress, meaning these measures are effectively moot absent federal action. The U.S. Senate passed a permanent DST bill back in 2022, but it sat idle thereafter — and even the Senate version passed in controversial fashion.

Two states, Arizona and Hawaii, have year-round standard time. California voters approved permanent DST back in 2018 via ballot measure, but state lawmakers there haven't yet passed the required legislation. Many states that have passed measures related to permanent DST are still sorting out how it would actually work — and some have passed it contingent on neighboring states following suit. Whether or not we muck with the clocks, there will always be less total daylight for us Northern Hemisphere dwellers in the winter — you can't fight orbital mechanics.