Clocks Fall Back Early Sunday in Washington DC, With Congress's Permanent Daylight Time Bill Still Stalled

Daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 1, when clocks are turned back to 1 a.m. and the region gains an hour of sleep, according to the Capital Weather Gang. Sunrise and sunset will both come about an hour earlier by the clock on Sunday, and in the District the return to standard time comes as daylight is already decreasing by about two minutes a day in early November.

The change happens despite a renewed push in Washington to end the twice-yearly switch. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act on July 14 by a bipartisan vote of 308 to 117, according to the official House voting record cited in published reporting. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent, eliminating the need to change clocks every spring and fall.

The proposal still requires Senate approval and the president's signature before becoming law, according to the U.S. Government Publishing Office record cited in the same reporting: the bill was referred to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on July 15. Lawmakers left Washington for the midterm elections without passing it, so the fall change stays on the schedule.

Standard time remains in place until the second Sunday in March, when clocks spring forward again, the Capital Weather Gang noted. Most phones and computers change automatically overnight; wall clocks, car dashboards, microwaves and ovens need to be set back by hand before bed on Saturday night, October 31.