Time change fall 2026 arrives on Sunday, Nov. 1, when Austin moves clocks back one hour at 2 a.m. and daylight saving time ends. Texas already has a state law on the books, but Greg Abbott’s Texas Time bill cannot take effect unless Congress changes federal law.
The U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act by a bipartisan vote of 308-117 on July 14. The Senate received it the next day and sent it to the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, but as of Oct. 5 neither that committee nor the Senate floor had scheduled a vote.
Greg Abbott and House Bill 1393
Greg Abbott signed House Bill 1393, known as the Texas Time bill, in June 2025 after it passed the Texas Legislature. The state law would let Texas stay on daylight saving time year-round, but only if Congress changes federal law to allow states to permanently observe it.
That is the friction in the story. Texas has passed the Texas Time bill, but the state cannot put it into effect on its own, so the Nov. 1 clock change remains the rule unless the federal proposal advances first.
Nov. 1 in Austin
For Austin, daylight saving time officially ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, and clocks move back to 1 a.m. Texans and other Americans who follow daylight saving time will see the same fall change on the same date. If Congress changes federal law, Texas would stop shifting clocks every March and November.
Permanent daylight saving time would also change the winter light pattern in Austin. The earliest winter sunset would move from around 5:31 p.m. to around 6:31 p.m. in December, while the latest winter sunrise would shift from around 7:30-7:45 a.m. to around 8:30-8:45 a.m.
Sunshine Protection Act in Senate
The federal proposal is the Sunshine Protection Act. The U.S. House acted first, but the Senate has not yet taken the next step, and that leaves the 2026 fall rollback intact for now. Will the Senate ever vote on the Sunshine Protection Act before the next scheduled clock change? That is the open question heading into November.
