Stalled Senate Daylight Saving Bill Stirs Fears of Chaotic 1974 Failure Forcing Kids to School in Pitch Dark

Clocks across the US still fall back on 1 November as the Trump-backed bill to end the switch stays frozen in the Senate (Credit: Wavetop/Canva)

A Trump-backed plan to lock the clocks on permanent daylight saving time has stalled in the US Senate, where Republicans warn it could repeat a botched 1974 experiment that once sent American children to school in darkness.

The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act on 14 July by a vote of 308 to 117, sending it to the Senate. The bill would make daylight saving time (DST) year-round, though states could opt out. Only Hawaii and most of Arizona currently sit out the twice-yearly switch. For now, the ritual stands, and clocks fall back on 1 November.