Most daylight saving time-related bills in Congress have focused on keeping clocks permanently one hour ahead but a newly introduced bill takes a different route. The Daylight Act of 2026 proposes moving clocks forward by just half an hour and ending the twice-a-year clock changes altogether.
The bill was introduced in early February 2026 by Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL). Though losing half an hour of sleep would be less disruptive than losing a full hour, experts say that moving clocks forward at all may still be less healthy in the long run.
What the bill would do
The Daylight Act of 2026 would change existing US time-zone law. It would shift all US time zones forward by 30 minutes. For example, Eastern Time would move from UTC-5 to UTC-4.5, Central Time from UTC-6 to UTC-5.5, and so on.
At the same time, the bill would end daylight saving time completely. This means clocks would no longer “spring forward” in March or “fall back” in November.
Status and timing of the bill
The Daylight Act of 2026 is a US House bill (H.R. 7378, 119th Congress). It was introduced on February 4, 2026, and referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
It has not yet become law. If the bill is passed, the new time system would take effect 90 days after it becomes law. This delay is meant to give businesses, airlines, tech systems, and other infrastructure time to adjust.
How US time zones would change
Under current standard time (without daylight saving time), US time zones are set at whole-hour offsets from UTC. The bill would shift them to half-hour offsets. India follows Indian Standard Time (IST), which is UTC+5.5 and does not use daylight saving time.
Eastern Time would move from UTC-5 to UTC-4.5.
Central Time would move from UTC-6 to UTC-5.5.
Mountain Time would move from UTC-7 to UTC-6.5.
Pacific Time would move from UTC-8 to UTC-7.5.
What this means for India–US time differences
Because India already uses a half-hour time zone, the change would slightly reduce the time gap between India and the US. Currently, India is about 10.5 hours ahead of US Eastern Time, 11.5 hours ahead of Central Time, 12.5 hours ahead of Mountain Time, and 13.5 hours ahead of Pacific Time.
Under the proposed system, these gaps would shrink by about 30 minutes. India would be about 10 hours ahead of Eastern Time, 11 hours ahead of Central, 12 hours ahead of Mountain, and 13 hours ahead of Pacific.
Impact on India–US work schedules
For people working across India and the US, daily overlap would shrink slightly. US business hours would effectively start half an hour later relative to India. Early-morning calls in India with US teams would still be manageable. However, late-evening calls in India with US East Coast offices would move closer to midnight, which could be more tiring for India-based teams.
Impact on financial markets
US market hours would likely stay the same locally, such as 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. However, these hours would now sit at UTC-4.5 instead of UTC-5.For India, this means U.S. markets would open and close about 30 minutes earlier than before in IST terms. The overall impact would be modest, but it could matter for overnight monitoring, earnings reactions, and coordination between global teams.
The main goal of the bill is to simplify timekeeping by ending clock changes and adopting a stable, half-hour-shifted system. Supporters argue this could reduce confusion and disruption. However, many medical and sleep experts say that any permanent shift away from natural solar time can still affect sleep, health, and productivity.