(NEXSTAR) – The U.S. appears on the verge of taking another step toward making daylight saving time permanent, a potentially promising sign for dozens of states.

The House could vote on the Sunshine Protection Act this week in a move that could end the twice-a-year changing of the clocks. Back in May, language from the bill was included in a larger transportation funding package that passed via a roll-call vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. President Donald Trump spoke highly of the bill, saying it could be "a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it!"

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The U.S. has long had a back-and-forth relationship with daylight saving time, with each attempt to make it permanent being rolled back shortly thereafter. Still, Congress and several states have attempted to lock our clocks on permanent daylight saving time.

The House and Senate versions of the Sunshine Protection Act call for permanent daylight saving time. We would change our clocks in March and skip "falling back" in November.

The Senate tried to fast-track its version of the Sunshine Protection Act last October, only for the effort to be thwarted.

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The House version could be considered this week in the House, according to the chamber's schedule.

The Sunshine Protection Act would require states to observe year-round daylight saving time unless they exempt themselves before it takes effect.

Presumably, that part of the Sunshine Protection Act refers to Hawaii and the parts of Arizona that do not change their clocks twice a year. Both states observe standard time (the time we observe from November to March) year-round.

Hawaii, being closer to the equator, gets relatively the same amount of sun all year, unlike the northern parts of the U.S., which have dark winters. By having more daylight in the morning hours, Arizona residents can avoid some of the late-day heat.

The rest of the U.S. falls on a spectrum, ranging from having no daylight saving time-related legislation introduced in recent years to being ready to lock their clocks when Congress gives them approval.

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Nineteen states – Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming – have already passed legislation to make daylight saving time permanent should Congress allow the move.

Several states also introduced legislation calling for permanent standard time. Only a handful – in Michigan, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts – remain alive in their respective legislative sessions.

Roughly 20 other state-level bills regarding permanent daylight saving time were also introduced this year. They failed to pass.

Summers would be the same as they are now, with later sunrises and sunsets.

It's the sunrises and sunsets from November through February that would be noticeably different.

Winter sunsets in much of the U.S. would occur after 5 p.m., a huge improvement for those who experience sunsets at 4 o'clock hour now. Sunrises, though, would largely happen after 8 a.m. – and in some areas, after 9 a.m.

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The table below shows the latest sunrises and earliest sunsets across multiple U.S. cities during the fall months, as well as what those times would switch to on permanent daylight saving time. 

City

Latest sunrise/earliest sunset when DST ends

Latest sunrise/earliest sunset with permanent DST

Austin

7:28 a.m./5:30 p.m.

8:28 a.m./6:30 p.m.

Charlotte, NC

7:32 a.m./5:11 p.m.

8:32 a.m./6:11 p.m.

Chicago

7:18 a.m./4:19 p.m.

8:18 a.m./5:19 p.m.

Cleveland, OH

7:53 a.m./4:57 p.m.

8:53 a.m./5:57 p.m.

Denver

7:21 a.m./4:35 p.m.

8:21 a.m./5:35 p.m.

Grand Rapids

8:14 a.m./5:08 p.m.

9:14 a.m./6:08 p.m.

Green Bay

7:29 a.m./4:12 p.m.

8:29 a.m./5:12 p.m.

Indianapolis

8:06 a.m./5:20 p.m.

9:06 a.m./6:20 p.m.

Juneau, AK

10:16 a.m./3:40 p.m.

11:16 a.m./4:40 p.m.

Las Vegas

6:52 a.m./4:26 p.m.

7:52 a.m./5:26 p.m.

Los Angeles

6:59 a.m./4:43 p.m.

7:59 a.m./5:43 p.m.

Nashville

6:58 a.m./4:32 p.m.

7:58 a.m./5:32 p.m.

New Haven

7:18 a.m./4:22 p.m.

8:18 a.m./5:22 p.m.

New Orleans

6:57 a.m./5:00 p.m.

7:57 a.m./6:00 p.m.

New York City

7:20 a.m./4:28 p.m.

8:20 a.m./5:28 p.m.

Portland, OR

7:51 a.m./4:27 p.m.

8:51 a.m./5:27 p.m.

Salt Lake City

7:52 a.m./5:00 p.m.

8:52 a.m./6:00 p.m.

St. Louis

7:19 a.m./4:39 p.m.

8:19 a.m./5:39 p.m.

Tampa

7:22 a.m./5:34 p.m.

8:22 a.m./6:34 p.m.

District of Columbia

7:27 a.m./4:46 p.m.

8:27 a.m./5:46 p.m.

All local times

We have observed permanent daylight saving time before on multiple occasions, and it was not as widely appreciated. Health and sleep experts also argue that permanent standard time is better for us.

Congress is already considering multiple daylight saving time-related pieces of legislation. That includes the Senate version of the Sunshine Protection Act, two bills in the House that would give states the option to observe year-round daylight saving time, a bill to make half-daylight saving time permanent, and a newly introduced bill to make standard time permanent, with exceptions.

Unless any daylight saving time bills pass through Congress this year, you can expect to set your clocks back on Nov. 1.

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