Overview
- Most of the United States, which will set clocks back on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, is scheduled to return to standard time at 2 a.m., giving people an extra hour of sleep and earlier evening darkness.
- The Sunshine Protection Act, which would allow states that observe DST to make it permanent, passed the House in July 2025 but remains stalled in the Senate so federal law currently keeps the twice‑annual change in place.
- Federal rules under the Uniform Time Act bar states from adopting year‑round daylight saving time on their own, so South Carolina’s 2020 law that authorizes permanent DST is conditional on Congress or a federal waiver.
- Medical research and major sleep groups, including a Stanford study highlighted in recent coverage, say permanent standard time better protects circadian health and warn that year‑round DST poses risks for sleep, heart events, and crashes.
- Local polling shows mixed public views — a Post and Courier survey found 40.7% of South Carolinians prefer year‑round standard time and 33.5% prefer year‑round DST — and households and institutions face practical disruptions from whatever rule applies.