Massachusetts

Sen. Ed Markey Pushes to End Daylight Savings' Springing Forward and Falling Back

Winter sunsets would be an hour later -- but so would winter sunrises

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Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., is re-introducing a bill along with a bipartisan group of senators that would put an end to the decades-old ritual of turning clocks forward in the spring and backward in the fall.

The Sunshine Protection Act would push winter sunsets in Massachusetts up to 5:30 from 4:30 p.m.

"It’s sunshine in the evening, it just makes people feel better," Markey said.

Matt Noyes explains the pros and cons of Daylight Saving Time and efforts to get rid of it.

Psychologists say mental health would be affected, since natural light provides an increase in serotonin, the chemical that makes people feel happy.

But for many, there is also a downside -- a winter morning sunrise in Boston would move from about 7:15 to 8:15 a.m.

State lawmakers have also proposed a bill that would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. But with COVID-19 dominating the agenda, it has been on the back-burner.

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