Spring doesn’t officially begin until March 20, but the combination of unseasonably mild temperatures and the annual “spring forward” of clocks this past weekend seemed to signal that better days are ahead.

Longer days, too.

Daylight Saving Time means less light in the morning, but more in the evening. It aligns with the annual feeling of renewal that comes with spring — especially this year after one of the worst winters in recent northeastern Ohio history.

That doesn’t mean we’re finished with cold weather or even snow, but there is more and more light at the end of the dark winter tunnel every day.

Like most states, we’ve been dealing with short days and limited opportunities for sunlight since November for decades. The question is why America as a whole has not punted Standard Time into, well, the sun.

We’re not the only observers wondering why the twice-yearly changing of the clocks is still a thing. When current Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a U.S. senator in Florida, he introduced the Sunshine Protection Act in 2019. The measure would have made what we call DST the American standard year-round.

In fact, the Senate passed the SPA by unanimous consent on March 15, 2022, and would have started Nov. 5, 2023. But the House of Representatives did not pass the measure, which remains in legislative limbo.

There are concerns about children leaving for school in the morning when it is dark and in the past, farmers have lamented losing valuable early daylight with year-round DST.

Organizations like the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American College of Chest Physicians and the World Sleep Society opposed the proposed change and are, in fact, proponents of year-round Standard Time.

American citizens are also split on the subject.

According to recent polling, just 21% of Americans want to change clocks twice a year, as we currently do everywhere except in Arizona and 62% want to keep the time the same all year. Of those, 50% prefer permanent DST and 31% favor permanent ST.

We understand there appear to be more than a few larger issues in the world right now, so it might be a while before Congress takes up the “spring forward, fall back” question again.

Until that debate begins anew, enjoy another eight months or so of sorely needed extra sunlight in the evening.

After this winter, we’ve earned it.