How Federal Law Blocks Texas From Permanent Daylight Time

Just when you thought Texas was finally done with this whole changing-the-clocks-twice-a-year nonsense, here we go again! Yep, despite Texas lawmakers approving a plan to eliminate the seasonal time changes, we're still going to fall back one hour on Sunday, November 1, 2026.

And believe it or not, Texas has already done its part. Now we're waiting on Washington.

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Texas Time Was Approved, But There's a Catch

In 2025, Texas lawmakers passed House Bill 1393, which Governor Greg Abbott signed into law. The legislation established a plan called "Texas Time," allowing the Lone Star State to observe daylight saving time year-round.

That means no more springing forward or falling back. We'd simply keep the longer evening daylight throughout the year. Sounds pretty sweet, right?

Well, there's one little hiccup.

Why Congress Is Holding Up Texas Time

Under the federal Uniform Time Act, states can choose permanent standard time, but they cannot independently adopt permanent daylight saving time. That means Texas Time cannot take effect unless Congress changes federal law to allow it.

So, even though Texas approved the plan, we're stuck waiting for federal lawmakers to make the next move…and we all know how that goes.

When Does Daylight Saving Time End in Texas in 2026?

A vintage metal compass resting on a bed of dark red autumn leaves — Photo by Sergey Sokolov on Unsplash

Until something changes in Washington, here's what you need to know:
Sunday, November 1, 2026: Daylight Saving Time ends.
2 a.m.: Clocks move backward to 1 a.m.
The good news: We get an extra hour of sleep.
The bad news: It'll start getting dark earlier in the evening.

Personally, I love that extra hour of sleep, but I'm not exactly thrilled about it getting dark before I've even figured out what I'm having for dinner. Texas Time sounds like a pretty good deal to me. Now we just need Congress to get on the same clock!

What do you think? Should Texas stick with daylight saving time year-round, switch to permanent standard time, or keep changing the clocks twice a year?