At the state level, several attempts have been made in the Illinois General Assembly to address time standardization. Various bills, such as HB 5400 and SB 2926, were introduced during the 2026 session to explore either exempting the state from DST or adopting permanent standards.
Currently, these state-level proposals have not been enacted into law and remain in legislative committees.
Under the current federal Uniform Time Act, states generally cannot unilaterally adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time without federal authorization.
If the Sunshine Protection Act passes and makes Daylight Saving Time (DST) permanent, you would notice a significant shift in Massac County’s winter daylight hours. Because the area would skip “falling back” in November, all sunrise and sunset times between November and March would shift exactly one hour later than what you are normally used to.
The primary impacts you would experience in Metropolis and the rest of Massac County include:
Later Winter Sunrises: Instead of the sun coming up around 7:00 AM during the darkest parts of winter, sunrise would be delayed until roughly 8:00 AM to 8:10 AM from early December through mid-February. On the year’s latest sunrise (around January 6), the sun wouldn’t rise until 8:09 AM. This means morning commutes and school bus pickups would happen entirely in the dark.
Later Winter Sunsets: In exchange for the dark mornings, you would gain an extra hour of afternoon light. Under normal standard time, Massac County’s earliest winter sunsets occur in early December at a very early 4:37 PM. If DST becomes permanent, that earliest sunset would shift to 5:37 PM, keeping it light through the typical 5:00 PM drive-home window.
No Summer Changes: Your spring and summer daylight hours would remain exactly the same as they are right now, meaning mid-summer sunsets would still top out right around 8:20 PM.
