Permanent daylight saving time bill’s future uncertain after Senate adjourns

(NEXSTAR) – If you were hoping to skip resetting your clocks next month, it seems you’re out of luck.

The U.S. was close to observing year-round daylight saving time. Back in July, the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act , which would make daylight saving time permanent, with few exceptions. President Donald Trump threw his support behind the bill , saying at the time that it would be “a very nice WIN for the Republican Party. Take it!”

The Sunshine Protection Act now sits in the Senate, where efforts to fast-track another version of the legislation were thwarted last fall. This time around, the bill faced an equally uncertain future, with several Republican lawmakers expressing opposition to it.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) had also previously cast doubt on the Sunshine Protection Act’s ability to reach the required 60-vote threshold needed to pass, The Hill reported in August.

The bill’s future became even more dim on Wednesday when the Senate adjourned for the midterm election . Senators are not scheduled to return to the Capitol until the week of Nov. 9.

That not only leaves several key priorities in limbo but also likely means our clocks will be falling back as usual in a few weeks.

Daylight saving time ends on the earliest possible date this year , Nov. 1. That’s roughly a week before lawmakers are set to return, meaning the Sunshine Protection Act likely won’t be enacted in time to skip the seasonal time change.

The bill could still be passed after the Senate returns, but the current Congress is only expected to remain in session through about mid- to late December, potentially upending efforts to make daylight saving time permanent.

If the bill passes, the U.S. could take an approach not unlike some of our neighbors to the north . In March, when daylight saving time began, British Columbia announced it was the last time it would change its clocks. Alberta followed suit over the summer.

But for now, our clocks appear likely to “fall back” to standard time in the early morning hours of Nov. 1.