Time is ticking down for the U.S. Senate to make daylight saving time permanent — something America tried more than 50 years ago but quickly reversed.
The U.S. House approved the Sunshine Protection Act earlier this summer in a bipartisan vote to make daylight saving time permanent with support from President Donald Trump, but the U.S. Senate has yet to take the measure up for a vote.
It's something America tried in the 1970s, when the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy and Conservation Act made daylight saving time permanent across the country. But the law lasted less than a year, with Congress repealing it just months after it took effect.
When did America observe permanent daylight saving time? Why?
President Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy and Conservation Act into law
in 1973. It was meant to be a two-year experiment in the wake of a fuel crisis in 1972, with the goal of reducing energy use across the country.
While it was a popular idea, with public sentiment hitting 79% before the law went into effect, support quickly plummeted. That's because multiple children in Florida were hit by vehicles on their way to school and died.
How many Florida kids died when America made daylight saving time permanent?
A total of eight kids in Florida died in early morning traffic accidents within the first two weeks of the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act going into effect, the Associated Press and multiple Florida newspapers reported.
Previously, only two early morning fatalities had taken place in 1973, the state reported.
The deaths included an unidentified 14-year-old boy in Jacksonville, 16-year-old Charles Van Iderstyne of Boca Raton, 13-year-old Robert T. Allen of Casselberry, six-year-old Richard Toudt of Tampa and a 17-year-old girl in Gulf County.
By October of the same year, Congress voted to repeal daylight saving time and return to standard time during the winter months.
Does Pennsylvania observe daylight saving time?
Yes, Pennsylvania observes daylight saving time. Hawaii and most of Arizona, save for the Navajo Nation, are the only U.S. states that don't observe it. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also don't observe daylight saving time.
Will daylight saving become permanent in Pennsylvania?
Around the country, 19 states have enacted laws to make daylight saving time permanent. But these laws can't take effect until Congress allows it at the federal level.
Pennsylvania has not passed any laws to observe permanent daylight saving time.
When do clocks fall back in 2026? Put this date on your calendar
If Congress doesn't act, daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, Nov. 1. This means that clocks will move back by one hour to 1 a.m., providing what may feel like an extra hour of sleep to some people and bringing earlier sunsets for the remainder of the fall season and winter months.
What's the difference between standard time and daylight saving?
According to Congress, standard time is the legally established base time for a time zone. Daylight saving time moves that clock ahead by one hour during part of the year.
What time will sunrise and sunset be in Pittsburgh?
Sunrise and sunset will both take place about an hour earlier on Nov. 1 than they did the day prior.
On Nov. 1, sunrise will take place at about 6:50 a.m. in Pittsburgh, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Sunset will occur at about 5:17 p.m.
The day before, on Oct. 31, sunrise is expected to happen at 7:49 a.m., while sunset will take place at about 6:18 p.m.
When will Congress vote on permanent daylight saving time?
It's not clear. The Sunshine Protection Act hasn't been scheduled for a vote in the Senate, and another congressional recess is set to begin on Oct. 5.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kids died when America tried permanent daylight saving time before
