Texans will turn their clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 1, even after the state approved a plan to keep daylight saving time year-round. Congress has yet to enact the federal change necessary to put that Texas plan into effect.
At 2 a.m. Sunday, clocks will return to 1 a.m. The shift will bring earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets by the clock, including across Dallas-Fort Worth. The National Institute of Standards and Technology confirms the November 1 transition.
What Texas Law Actually Does
Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1393 in June 2025. The law calls for year-round daylight-saving time across both the Central and Mountain Time portions of Texas, using the name “Texas Time,” but only if Congress authorizes states to adopt it.
The Texas Legislature specifies that the law has no effect without that federal authorization.
Under the current Uniform Time Act, states can choose permanent standard time, but states that use daylight saving time must follow the federal start and end dates, the U.S. Department of Transportation explains. Texas cannot simply eliminate the November clock change while retaining daylight saving time all year.
House Vote Did Not Change Federal Law
On July 14, the U.S. House passed H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, by a 308-117 vote. The measure would make daylight saving time permanent for most of the country, while preserving an option for qualifying areas to remain on standard time. The House Energy and Commerce Committee confirmed the vote.
The Senate received the bill July 15 and referred it to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, according to the government’s official legislative record. The measure has not become law.
A previous article from The Dallas Express examined the trade-off for Dallas: permanent daylight-saving time could push some winter sunrises to roughly 8:30 a.m., while extending evening daylight by the clock.
What Changes On November 1
The switch means Texans who commute home near sunset will see darkness arrive roughly one hour earlier by the clock. Many phones and connected devices adjust automatically, but residents may need to reset clocks in cars and household appliances.
Under the existing federal schedule, daylight saving time returns Sunday, March 14, 2027. Until federal lawmakers change the rules, Texas residents must continue the twice-yearly switch.
