As we ‘spring forward,’ Texas should end clock-change nonsense. But we need some help | Opinion

Twice a year, we change our clocks under the rules of daylight saving time.

And twice a year, we grumble about it and debate whether and how it should be changed. You could say it’s like clockwork.

Saturday brings the time shuffle back, along with clock confusion and sleep deprivation. Texans, haven’t we had enough?

In the Legislature, at least, bold leaders have lined up for years to take on the scourge of the clock change, only to be beaten back by Big Daylight.

Congress, which institutionalized the infernal time change in the first place, is captured by that special interest. So, states are permitted only to abandon daylight saving time for permanent standard time. Two have done it: Arizona and Hawaii.

What Americans seem to want most, according to surveys, is permanent daylight saving time. In Texas, it’s best if we can make the most of our abundant sunshine, even if it means some miserably early winter nights. We’re already not so good at winter anyhow, so what difference will it make if the sun comes up a little later, right?

But with Congress in the way, what’s a determined Texan to do? A two-step, of course.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini, a Laredo Democrat who’s now the longest-serving senator, is offering a state constitutional amendment. It’s awaiting a hearing in a Senate committee, but if it’s approved, Texas would switch to standard time. And when Elon Musk finally gets around to the Department of Time or whatever agency controls the clocks, Texas voters could decide in a statewide referendum whether to stay on standard time or switch to daylight saving time.

Imagine that: Giving the voters a say on something that affects their everyday lives. Someone alert the Keller school board!

Other bills would hold out for daylight saving time; the House approved such a measure in 2023, but the Senate never considered it. Such an approach would put Texas on track for an automatic switch whenever Congress gets it together. And we all know what a safe bet that is.

Ending the biannual clock dance should be straightforward enough. Scientists generally agree that it messes with our sleep cycles. Between devices that bathe us in blue light and the just-one-more-episode button that keeps us watching Taylor Sheridan shows into the wee hours, we don’t need any help screwing up our circadian rhythms.

And that’s about more than whether you have to apologize to your boss for looking like a Zombie on the morning Zoom. Disrupted sleep leads to increased risk of heart attack, stroke and other maladies.

The public seems to firmly favor ending the time change. Even in an era when many devices do the work for you, there’s always that one microwave or ancient alarm clock that you have to dig out the manual to set. And if your car is an older model, you’re more likely to master cryptocurrency than remember which three buttons you press to get the clock moving.

But which way do we go? There are good arguments (and bad, naturally) for and against both standard and daylight time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine favors standard time, considering the risks posed by artificially changing the duration of our exposure to the sun too great. Plenty of industries like the longer window for summer business, though.

Health vs. economic activity? Sounds like a job for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., though we hear he’s going to be pretty busy.

Texas, like always, can lead the way. We like permanent daylight saving time, even if it would put us out of step with our neighbors and aligned with (gulp) New York and Boston.

Whether it’s Zaffirini’s proposal or a straightforward abolishing of the time change, let’s hope that for once, our legislators can shake the fog of springing forward and give ordinary Texans the time of day.

Updated March 7 to reflect the pending clock change and status of the proposal in the Legislature.

This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 5:21 AM.