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| how does daylight savings work |
illinois daylight savings time
how does daylight savings work
What would it mean for Chicago winters if the United States made daylight saving time permanent, and how would it affect dawn and sunset times?
The Senate passed legislation on Tuesday that will put an end to the changing of the clocks. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives, where it will be debated and, if enacted, forwarded to Vice President Joe Biden's desk.
Here's what you should know:
?When does Daylight Saving Time begin and end
The period between spring and autumn when clocks in most regions of the country are adjusted one hour ahead of standard time is known as daylight saving time. The last time Americans changed their clocks was on Sunday. In most parts of the country, standard time lasts around four months.
What Would It Take to Make Permanent Daylight Saving Time Work?
The Sunshine Protection Act, a bipartisan measure, would eliminate the need for Americans to adjust their clocks twice a year. The proposal would effectively end standard time, which many states use throughout the winter months.
In the United States, daylight saving time lasts 34 weeks, from early to mid-March through the beginning of November in states that observe it. Daylight saving time will no longer expire in November if the law passes.
?How Would the Change Affect Midwest Sunrises and Sunsets
Illinois residents are accustomed to the sun setting shortly after 4 p.m. in December, but with permanent daylight saving time, that will change, with the earliest sunset of the year coming on Dec. 8, 2023 at 5:21 p.m.
Twilight would enable a small amount of daylight to remain until shortly before 6 p.m.
The actual transformation would happen at daybreak. Sunrise would not appear until after 8 a.m. for a substantial portion of the winter due to the time change, making morning travels for students and employees a little darker.
For over two months, from December 4 to February 3, dawn would not happen until after 8 a.m.
The earliest dawn of the year (June 13) and the latest sunset of the year (June 24) will be unaffected because daylight saving time is already in force during the summer.
*Note: The timings stated here are for the winters of 2023 and 2024, the first season in which the revised hours will be implemented.
?When will the change be implemented
Illinois residents would still have to change their clocks at least two more times, according to the bill's language. The new time would not be fully implemented until 2023, with clocks not being reset after daylight saving time begins in March of next year.
There would be no further time adjustments in much of the United States after the March 2023 spring forward.
?Why Should You Make a Change
According to Reuters, at least 30 states have submitted legislation to discontinue the practice of changing the clocks every year, and Rep. Frank Pallone highlighted a poll that found 71 percent of Americans support doing so.
According to supporters of the measure, including co-sponsor Sen. Marco Rubio, providing children an extra hour of sunshine after school would allow for safer travels home, more time spent outdoors, and other health advantages. He further claimed that such a move would have economic benefits.
Since its inception as a wartime measure in 1942, members of Congress have been interested in the possible advantages and costs of daylight saving time. The proposal will now be sent to the House of Representatives, where the Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing last week to discuss potential legislation.
In his opening speech during the hearing, Pallone, the committee's chairman, agreed that it's "time we stop changing our clocks." He was, however, unsure on whether to use daylight saving time or normal time.
"There is abundant evidence of the harmful, short-term repercussions of seasonal time shifts," according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which has been advocating for a permanent move to standard time for years.
"Making daylight saving time permanent ignores possible health hazards that might be avoided by establishing permanent standard time instead," the AASM said.
The organization stated in a statement that "current data best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which corresponds best with human circadian rhythm and delivers significant benefits for public health and safety."
The Department of Transportation, on the other hand, claims that daylight saving time offers a number of advantages. The following is highlighted on the DOT's website:
It helps to conserve electricity. Because the sun sets one hour later in the evenings during daylight saving time, the requirement for power for domestic lights and appliances is decreased. During daylight saving time, people prefer to spend more time outside in the evenings, reducing the demand for power in the home. In addition, because the dawn occurs so early in the morning during the summer, most individuals will awaken after the sun has already risen, resulting in fewer lights being turned on in their houses.
It saves lives and avoids road accidents. More individuals go to and from school and work, as well as do errands, during daylight saving time.
It lowers crime rates. During daylight saving time, more individuals are out in public during the day rather than at night, when crime is more prevalent.
?What Was the Origin of Daylight Saving Time
So, how did daylight saving time begin in the first place, and is there any possibility that it will be abolished completely anytime soon?
To begin, it's important to remember that it's daylight saving time, not daylight "savings" time.
Some claim that Benjamin Franklin invented daylight saving time when he stated in a 1784 article about saving candles, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and intelligent," and said, "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." However, that was intended as humor rather than a serious analysis
During World War I, Germany was the first to implement daylight saving time on May 1, 1916, as a means of conserving fuel. The rest of Europe rapidly followed suit.
On March 19, 1918, the United States became the first country in the world to implement daylight saving time. It was unpopular and was repealed following World War I.
Franklin D. Roosevelt declared "war time" on February 9, 1942, when he implemented year-round daylight saving time. This lasted till the 30th of September, 1945.
The Uniform Time Act of 1966, which imposed standard time across the country within designated time zones, was the catalyst for the adoption of daylight saving time in the United States. On the last Sunday in April, clocks would advance one hour at 2 a.m., and on the last Sunday in October, clocks would roll back one hour at 2 a.m.
States may still opt out of daylight saving time if they did so as a whole. Due to the 1973 oil embargo, Congress established a year-round daylight saving time trial phase from January 1974 to April 1975 in order to save energy.
Daylight saving time has evolved over time. It currently runs from 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March until 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. Part of the reason for the shift was to allow youngsters to go trick or treating in the daytime.
Is it true that certain states do not observe Daylight Saving Time
Arizona and Hawaii are the only two states that do not follow daylight saving time.
