Two days after Massachusetts fell back an hour, a bill to stop changing the clocks moved a step closer to a vote in the state Senate. On October 29, the Senate Rules Committee sent S.2157, “An Act relative to Massachusetts time zones and sunshine protection,” to the floor, and the Senate read it a second time and ordered it to a third reading, according to the bill history on the Legislature’s website.
The bill would not adopt daylight saving time year-round in the way most people imagine. Federal law does not allow that. Instead it would move Massachusetts to Atlantic standard time, one hour ahead of Eastern time, and stop changing the clocks. In practice, the state would keep what is now summer clock time all year. And it only takes effect if at least two neighboring states go along. We read the bill text and the federal law.
Where the bill stands
| Date | Action |
|---|---|
| January 15, 2025 | Filed by Sen. John F. Keenan (Norfolk and Plymouth); later joined by Sen. Rebecca L. Rausch and Rep. Christine P. Barber |
| February 27, 2025 | Referred to the Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight |
| July 22, 2025 | Public hearing |
| December 11, 2025 | Bill history notes it “accompanied a study order, see S2850” |
| March 12, 2026 | Reported favorably by committee and referred to Senate Rules |
| October 29, 2026 | Rules reported it out, and the Senate read it a second time and ordered it to a third reading |
MassLive reported that the Rules Committee vote was 5 to 0. The bill still needs a third reading and a Senate vote, then passage by the House and the governor’s signature. A bill that has not passed both branches when the current two-year session ends dies and must be refiled.
What S.2157 would do
- Section 1: Atlantic time, no clock changes. It rewrites G.L. c. 4, § 10 so that “the standard time within the commonwealth shall be the time known and designated by the federal statute as Atlantic standard time and shall be exempted from the change to daylight savings time” under the federal Uniform Time Act.
- Section 2: only with neighbors. Section 1 takes effect only if two or more of New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York or Maine either enter an agreement with Massachusetts adopting Atlantic time, pass a law with an identical effect, or direct a state official to ask the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to put that state in the Atlantic time zone.
- Section 3: school start times. Within 90 days, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must convene a task force to study school start times and sleep needs, hold public hearings, and report within 12 months of its first meeting.
- Section 4: the federal request. Within 120 days of the effective date, the governor must petition the U.S. Department of Transportation to include Massachusetts in the Atlantic time zone.
Why the state cannot just stay on summer time
The federal Uniform Time Act, 15 U.S.C. § 260a, sets daylight saving time from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. A state that lies entirely within one time zone “may by law exempt itself” from the time change, “but only if that law provides that the entire State … shall observe the standard time otherwise applicable during that period.” In other words, a state may opt out into permanent standard time, as Arizona and Hawaii do, but not into permanent daylight time. The statute declares Congress’s intent “to supersede any and all laws of the States” that set different changeover dates.
That is why S.2157 takes a different route. Atlantic standard time is one hour ahead of Eastern standard time, the same as Eastern daylight time. If Massachusetts were moved into the Atlantic zone and exempted itself from daylight saving, its clocks would match today’s summer time all year without breaking the federal rule. Moving a state into a different time zone, though, is a federal decision, which is why Section 4 directs the governor to petition the Department of Transportation.
The current state law is a reminder of who is in charge. G.L. c. 4, § 10, as it reads today, still says the clocks change on the last Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October. Those dates have been overridden by the federal schedule for years.
What supporters say
Keenan has said moving to one year-round time could lower the risk of strokes, heart attacks and crashes and increase productivity, MassLive reported. Senate President Karen Spilka called the clock change a “ridiculous seasonal dance” in a release after the committee vote, MassLive reported, citing Boston.com. “Permanently establishing a single time system would improve our health and even make our roads safer,” she said.
What about Congress?
The Sunshine Protection Act would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. MassLive reported that it cleared the U.S. House in July and awaits action in the Senate, and that 19 states have passed laws to move to permanent daylight time if Congress allows it. If Congress acts, the federal ban on permanent daylight time would go away, and the Atlantic zone workaround would matter less. Our earlier explainer on the federal bill and the November 1 time change.
What it would mean if it happened
- Winter evenings get lighter, winter mornings get darker. On today’s schedule, a December sunrise around 7 a.m. Eastern standard time would come around 8 a.m. on the clock.
- Clocks would differ from New York and the rest of the East Coast part of the year unless neighbors move too. The two-state trigger is meant to keep New England from splitting into a patchwork.
- Nothing changes now. Even if the Legislature passed the bill, the clock change stops only after two more states act and the federal government approves the zone change.
Frequently asked questions
Is Massachusetts getting rid of daylight saving time?
Not yet. A Senate bill, S.2157, was ordered to a third reading on October 29, 2026. It would move Massachusetts to Atlantic standard time with no clock changes, but only if at least two neighboring states also act and the U.S. Department of Transportation approves.
Can a state stay on daylight saving time all year?
Not under current federal law. 15 U.S.C. § 260a lets a state exempt itself only into permanent standard time. Congress would have to change the law, as the Sunshine Protection Act proposes.
What is Atlantic time?
The time zone one hour ahead of Eastern standard time, used in parts of eastern Canada and in Puerto Rico. Atlantic standard time is the same as Eastern daylight time.
When would the clocks stop changing?
No date is set. The bill takes effect only after two of New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York or Maine act, and the governor must then petition the federal government.
Sources: S.2157 text and bill history, read at malegislature.gov on November 3, 2026; G.L. c. 4, § 10, read at malegislature.gov; 15 U.S.C. § 260a, read at Cornell’s Legal Information Institute; MassLive, November 3, 2026 (Rules vote count, Keenan and Spilka statements, Sunshine Protection Act status). General information, not legal advice.