Press Room
Media resources for the Last Fall Back Act.
Everything reporters need to cover Washington's citizen effort to end the biannual clock change — without waiting for another call.
Campaign description
The Last Fall Back Act is a Washington State citizens' initiative effort to permanently end the biannual clock change. It would adopt permanent Pacific Standard Time using authority Washington already has under federal law — no act of Congress required — and cancel future spring-forward transitions. If Congress later authorizes states to observe daylight saving time year-round, the initiative includes a built-in bridge to permanent Pacific Daylight Time. The effort is grounded in peer-reviewed research on the health and safety harms of clock changes, including elevated cardiac-event and traffic-fatality risk in the days after "spring forward." Washington's 2019 Legislature already voted to make this switch — if Congress acted first. The Last Fall Back Act asks the Legislature to act now, on the state's own authority, with a ballot initiative as the fallback path.
Press releases
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Campaign launchComing soon
Fact sheet
Why state action, not just federal
Congress controls permanent daylight time. Washington controls whether it keeps changing its clocks. Federal law already lets a state remain on standard time year-round without congressional action — that's how Arizona and Hawaii do it today. Permanent daylight time is different: it requires Congress to authorize it, and the U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act by a 308–117 vote on July 14, 2026, but the Senate has not scheduled final action. The Last Fall Back Act uses the path that's available to Washington right now rather than waiting on a federal timeline the state doesn't control.
Read the full initiative text for the exact legal language, including the transition mechanism if federal law changes.
Campaign timeline
Now through 2027 session: Constituents contact their legislators asking them to introduce and pass the Last Fall Back Act.
2027 legislative session (Jan–Apr): The fastest path — if the Legislature passes the Act, no ballot initiative is needed.
May 2027: If the session ends without action, an Initiative to the People is filed with the Secretary of State and signature gathering begins.
May 2027 – 2028: Signature collection toward the 308,911+ valid-signature threshold.
November 2028: If not already enacted, the initiative appears on the general election ballot for Washington voters to decide.
See the full interactive timeline on the homepage.
Sourced research and citations
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Workplace injuries rise 5.7% (and workdays lost rise 68%) the Monday after spring forwardBarnes & Wagner, Journal of Applied Psychology (APA) — apa.org
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Cardiac events (myocardial infarction, stroke) spike in the days after spring forwardAmerican Heart Association — heart.org
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Ischemic stroke incidence elevated in the first two days after the transitionSipilä et al., Sleep Medicine — sciencedirect.com
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Fatal motor-vehicle crashes rise ~6% the week after spring forward (~28 additional deaths/year)Fritz et al., Current Biology — cell.com
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Meta-analysis (12 studies, 10 countries) finds elevated heart-attack risk after spring forwardDeutsches Ärzteblatt International systematic review — PMC
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U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act, 308–117, July 14, 2026Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives — clerk.house.gov
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Washington's 2019 conditional vote for permanent daylight timeESSB 5139 — app.leg.wa.gov
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308,911 valid-signature minimum for initiatives filed 2025–2028Washington Secretary of State — sos.wa.gov
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Federal authority for state-level permanent standard time15 U.S.C. § 260a — uscode.house.gov
Frequently asked questions
Why permanent standard time instead of permanent daylight saving time?
States have clear federal authority to adopt permanent standard time under 15 U.S.C. § 260a — the same authority Arizona and Hawaii use today. Permanent daylight saving time requires congressional authorization that hasn't been enacted. The Last Fall Back Act takes the path available now, ending the clock change immediately, and switches to permanent daylight time automatically once Congress allows it.
How many signatures are needed for the initiative?
308,911 or more valid signatures from registered Washington voters — the statutory minimum for initiatives filed from 2025 through 2028, per the Washington Secretary of State. Because signatures are commonly rejected on review, the campaign's internal collection target is higher and will be set with initiative counsel.
When would the last clock change happen?
If enacted, Washington would fall back in November 2028 and the spring-forward scheduled for March 2029 would be canceled. Washington would be on permanent Pacific Standard Time.
Can I sign the petition online?
No. The website records interest and helps organize supporters. A valid initiative signature must be collected on the official paper petition once the initiative is filed with the Secretary of State.
Is this a registered political committee?
Not yet. See the privacy policy for how the campaign currently handles supporter information.
Brand assets
Licensed under CC BY 4.0 — reuse with attribution.
Founder
Scott Thurlow has lived in the Pacific Northwest since 1993 — long enough to have changed his clocks by hand well over sixty times. A retired Microsoft product manager, he spent his career deciding which problems were worth solving and shipping practical fixes for them; he's applying the same discipline here. He is currently a doctoral candidate at Purdue University. He founded the Last Fall Back Act to give Washington a state-level path forward instead of more years waiting on Congress.
Media contact
For interview requests, fact-checking, or additional data: