Press Room

Legislation Would Keep Massachusetts on Daylight Saving Time Year-Round 

(BOSTON—10/30/2026) As residents prepare for clocks to fall back an hour this weekend, the Massachusetts Senate this week advanced legislation to stop the twice-yearly clock change and establish a consistent time system in Massachusetts.

The bill would effectively place the state on year-round Daylight Saving Time, meaning residents would see an extra hour of evening daylight in the winter months.

The legislation, S.2157, implements recommendations of a special commission which found that joining the Atlantic Time Zone—a permanent move to Daylight Saving Time—would bring overall benefits to Massachusetts residents, including increased economic growth and competitiveness and meaningful reductions in energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The Senate voted during its session on October 29, 2026, to give the bill a form of initial approval and prepare it for final debate.

“Here we are again, setting our clocks back an hour. It’s a ridiculous seasonal dance that upends our sleep schedules and scrambles our lives twice a year,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “I hear about this often from constituents who are tired of this outdated relic of the 20th century. Permanently establishing a single time system would improve our health and even make our roads safer. I remain thankful to Senator Keenan for filing this bill and to our colleagues for advancing it this week. I look forward to hearing my colleagues’ input as the Senate continues to consider this matter.”

“There are many benefits to observing Atlantic Standard Time year-round, including a decrease in energy usage, reduction in the risk of heart attacks, strokes, car accidents, and increased workplace productivity,” said Senator John F. Keenan (D-Quincy), lead sponsor of the legislation. “I am grateful to Thomas Emswiler, a Quincy constituent and dedicated expert on time zone policy, who brought this issue to my attention, the leadership of the Senate President, Senator Joan Lovely, and my former colleague Senator Eileen Donoghue, who served as chairperson of the Special Commission on the Commonwealth’s Time Zone.”

The move would take effect if at least two neighboring states agree join in a move to the Atlantic Time Zone, which is an hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone.

Numerous studies have shown that the twice-per-year clock change leads to negative impacts on people’s health.

• According to experts at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the time change is associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, mood disturbances, and hospital admissions.
• Research from the Stanford School of Medicine finds that disruptions to the body’s circadian rhythm are associated with higher rates of stroke and obesity.
• Sleep medicine specialists from Northwestern Medicine have linked the clock change to longer-term health effects, including depression, slowed metabolism, weight gain, and cluster headaches.

The bill was referred to the full Senate on October 29, 2026, with a 5-0 vote of the Senate Committee on Rules. It was previously given a favorable report by the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight, which put the bill through a public input process last year. The topic was previously explored in depth across multiple public meetings by the Special Commission on the Commonwealth’s Time Zone.

The Senate this week gave the legislation a type of initial approval, known as ordering the bill to a third reading, which sends it through a final proofreading process before it comes back to the full Senate for further consideration.

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