A Texas law is already in place to make daylight saving time permanent — but the state cannot “lock the clock” until Congress changes federal law. A major U.S. House vote this summer brought that possibility significantly closer.
Texas residents could eventually stop changing their clocks twice a year, but despite viral posts suggesting the change is imminent, permanent daylight saving time is not yet in effect in Texas.
The key development is happening in Washington.
On July 14, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, H.R. 139, by a bipartisan 308–117 vote. The legislation would make daylight saving time permanent for most of the United States, effectively ending the familiar spring-forward and fall-back clock changes.
The legislation was received by the Senate on July 15 and referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, where it remains as of September 23, 2026.
And for Texas, passage of the federal legislation could immediately become especially important.
Texas Already Passed Its Own Permanent DST Law
Texas lawmakers anticipated this possibility more than a year ago.
In 2025, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1393, legislation requiring Texas to observe daylight saving time year-round once federal law allows the state to do so.
The Texas House approved HB 1393 133–11, while the Texas Senate passed it 26–5. Gov. Greg Abbott subsequently signed the legislation on June 20, 2025.
The law even gives the state’s permanent time a distinctly Texas name: “Texas Time.”
Under HB 1393, year-round daylight saving time would apply to both portions of Texas — areas operating in the Central Time Zone as well as the portion of West Texas operating in the Mountain Time Zone.
There is one major catch.
The Texas legislation explicitly says it takes effect only if Congress passes legislation that becomes federal law authorizing Texas to observe daylight saving time year-round. If Congress does not do that, the Texas provision has no effect.
Why Can’t Texas Simply Stop Changing Its Clocks?
Federal law currently prevents states from independently choosing permanent daylight saving time.
States can opt out of daylight saving time and remain on standard time throughout the year, which is why most of Arizona and Hawaii do not participate in the seasonal clock changes.
But states cannot independently choose the opposite arrangement — permanent daylight saving time — under the existing federal framework. Texas legislative analysis specifically cited the federal Uniform Time Act as the barrier requiring congressional action.
That is why HB 1393 essentially functions as a trigger: Texas has already decided what it will do if federal law changes.
The Sunshine Protection Act Could Change That
H.R. 139 would make daylight saving time the permanent standard for most of the country, while providing options for jurisdictions that have historically been exempt from daylight saving time.
The House vote showed substantial bipartisan support.
Of the 308 representatives voting yes, 193 were Republicans, 114 were Democrats and one was an independent. Twenty-two Republicans and 95 Democrats voted against the measure.
But House passage is only one part of the process.
The Senate must still pass the legislation before it can be sent to the president. The Senate could approve the House legislation, amend it or take no further action.
Until legislation actually becomes federal law, nothing changes for Texans.
Texans Are Still Changing Their Clocks in 2026
For now, Texas remains under the existing daylight saving time schedule.
That means Texans are still scheduled to “fall back” on Sunday, November 1, 2026, returning clocks one hour as daylight saving time ends.
The state’s 2025 legislation does not independently cancel that clock change.
The important distinction is that Texas has already completed much of the state-level legislative work necessary to move to permanent daylight saving time. The remaining question is what happens in Washington.
Supporters and Critics Disagree Over Which Time Is Better
The debate isn’t simply about whether Americans dislike changing their clocks.
There is also disagreement over whether permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time would be preferable.
Supporters of permanent DST have argued that additional evening daylight could benefit recreation, businesses and people who prefer having more usable daylight after work.
Medical and sleep organizations have raised a different concern.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine opposed the House legislation after its July passage and has argued that permanent standard time is more closely aligned with human circadian biology.
Those competing arguments could become increasingly important as the Senate considers the legislation.
Texas Is Ready — Washington Is the Remaining Hurdle
The viral headline that Texas is moving toward permanent daylight saving time is therefore broadly accurate, but the change has not happened yet.
Texas passed its trigger legislation in 2025. The U.S. House then passed the federal Sunshine Protection Act by a wide margin in July 2026.
Now the federal legislation is sitting in the Senate.
If the necessary federal legislation ultimately becomes law, Texas already has legislation directing the state toward year-round daylight saving time — potentially ending the twice-a-year ritual of changing clocks and ushering in what lawmakers have officially dubbed “Texas Time.”
