IL officials introduce bills to end daylight saving time change — which happens soon
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Illinois will spring forward at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8.
- Multiple bills seek permanent DST or exemptions, including H.B. 1400.
- Federal law bars states from adopting permanent DST without congressional approval.
If you’re looking forward to more daylight in the evenings in Illinois, you’re in luck. Daylight saving time is just around the corner.
Illinois residents will “spring forward” and move their clocks ahead by one hour for the beginning of daylight saving time at 2 a.m. Sunday, March 8.
Meteorological spring began March 1, but the “official” beginning of the new season, or astronomical spring, begins Friday, March 20 with the spring equinox. Belleville has moved into a springlike weather pattern for early March, with several days of rain showers and temperatures as high as 78 degrees Fahrenheit in the forecast.
Metro-east residents have seen the days grow a bit longer since December, with sunsets as late as 7:22 p.m. by the end of March, and reaching 7:50 p.m. by late April.
But will Illinois lawmakers put an end to the practice of changing clocks twice a year? There’s been some movement on legislation to do just that.
Daylight saving legislation in Illinois, across US
Bills relating to daylight saving time often circulate the Illinois legislature. One example is House Bill 1400, which would establish permanent daylight saving time in the state, if allowed by Congress.
H.B. 1400 was filed in January 2025 and its last action was an assignment to the State Government Administration Committee Feb. 24, 2026.
Some efforts against clock-changing take a different approach, however, such as Senate Bill 2926, which aims to exempt the state from required daylight saving time. S.B. 2926 was filed Jan. 27 and has been referred to the assignments committee.
Another bill relating to daylight saving time, House Bill 5400, was filed Feb. 10 and would exempt Illinois from daylight saving time after Missouri and Iowa are exempt.
These recent bills are far from the only effort to end clock-changing in Illinois, and the U.S. Senate has introduced similar legislation for the nation. So far, Hawaii and Arizona are the only states in the country that don’t observe daylight saving time, and the Navajo Nation portion of Arizona does practice daylight saving.
The history of daylight saving
Daylight saving time was made a legal requirement by the Uniform Time Act of 1966, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports.
State governments cannot independently change time zones or the length of daylight saving time, but they can exempt their states from the practice.
“States do not have the authority to choose to be on permanent Daylight Saving Time,” the U.S. Department of Transportation website reads.
This year’s daylight saving time will end Sunday, Nov. 1.
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