Idaho Residents Face Potential Second Clock Change in November

Idaho residents who gained an extra hour of sleep on Sunday may be required to give it back before the end of November. The possibility stems from the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill currently stalled in the U.S. Senate that would mandate permanent daylight saving time nationwide. If Congress passes the measure and the President signs it with an immediate effective date, clocks in Boise and the Treasure Valley would move forward one hour again, reversing the recent shift to standard time.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act in July with a vote of 308 to 117. The legislation aims to eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes by locking the country into daylight saving time year-round. However, the bill has faced delays in the Senate due to disagreement among lawmakers over which time standard to adopt. Some members support permanent daylight saving time to extend evening daylight, while others prefer permanent standard time to ensure children have daylight for their morning commute to school.

Idaho has its own legislative history with time zone adjustments. In 2020, the state passed a law allowing the northern region, which observes Pacific Time, to adopt permanent daylight saving time if Washington state enacts a similar measure. This provision applies to communities such as Coeur d’Alene and Lewiston. The Treasure Valley, including Boise, Meridian, and Nampa, operates on Mountain Time and is not directly covered by that specific 2020 statute. Lawmakers also considered a bill in 2025 that would have moved Idaho toward permanent standard time, but that proposal did not pass.

The practical impact of the time change is most visible during the winter months. On December 21, the winter solstice, the sun currently rises in Boise at approximately 8:15 a.m. and sets at 5:11 p.m. If Idaho were to switch to permanent daylight saving time, the sunrise would shift to 9:15 a.m. and the sunset to 6:11 p.m. This adjustment would result in significantly darker mornings for students in the Treasure Valley. Depending on school start times, some children could be seated in classrooms before the sun rises, while their after-school hours would include an additional hour of daylight.

President Trump has urged the Senate to approve the legislation. However, congressional leaders have indicated that passing the bill before the end of the year is difficult. As of now, the next scheduled clock change remains Sunday, March 14, 2027, when residents would typically move their clocks forward one hour for the spring.