Unless the U.S. Senate takes rapid action, most Americans will turn their clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1.

While smartphones and connected devices will adjust automatically, traditional clocks and appliances will require manual updates. The reset will keep the country on standard time until clocks spring forward again on March 14, 2027.

Here is where the push for permanent daylight saving time stands, and why the November switch is still on track to happen.

The Congressional Roadblock

The twice-yearly time switch continues because the Sunshine Protection Act, a federal bill aimed at establishing year-round daylight saving time for most of the country, remains stalled.

Although the House passed the legislation on July 14, the bill was subsequently sent to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where it has sat without a scheduled floor vote as of Sept. 23.

The legislative window to prevent the November clock change is rapidly closing. The Senate recently returned from a five-week recess on Sept. 14, but Congress is slated to begin another extended recess on Oct. 5. If lawmakers do not finalize the bill before they leave Washington, the existing federal time-change rules will automatically apply.

The Federal Ban and 19 Waiting States

Currently, the federal government prohibits states from independently adopting permanent daylight saving time. States are only allowed to opt out of the time change by observing permanent standard time year-round, an exemption currently utilized by Hawaii and most of Arizona (though the Navajo Nation within Arizona continues to change its clocks).

Despite this federal blockade, 19 states have proactively passed laws supporting permanent daylight saving time. Florida initiated the movement in 2018, and several states have since followed suit. The states with permanent DST legislation already on the books are:

Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

Having a law on the books does not guarantee an immediate change. In addition to requiring a federal repeal of the current ban, some states have built-in trigger conditions. Delaware and Utah, for example, require their neighboring states to enact identical measures before their own permanent daylight saving laws can take effect.

What Happens if the Bill Becomes Law?

If Congress eventually passes the Sunshine Protection Act, it will eliminate the biannual transition between standard and daylight saving time. Most of the country would remain on daylight saving time throughout the winter months. Areas that currently have standard-time exemptions, like Hawaii, would be allowed to maintain their current schedules.

Until the Senate moves the legislation forward, however, the map of states with permanent DST laws serves merely as a guide to regional political support, not a guarantee that residents will skip the fall time change.