When 2 a.m. rolls around Sunday morning, it will be time to spring those clocks ahead an hour.

Daylights Savings Time is set to begin and last through the first Saturday in November but could the state of New Mexico be seeing a change in when to change the clocks? 

Two new bills are passing through New Mexico legislation to exempt the state from daylight savings time. 

House Bill 73 sponsored by Rep. Roberto “Bobby” J. Gonzales passed the House of Representatives (35-32). Representative Gonzales’ bill places New Mexico on Mountain Standard time year-round, which would have New Mexico share the same time as Arizona. On the counterpart, this change will set New Mexico’s clocks two hours different from Texas. 

Senate Bill 223, sponsored by Sen. Cliff R. Pirtle, is in favor of New Mexico staying on Mountain Daylight time, keeping the state on the same time zone as their eastern neighbors in Texas. The bill passed in the Senate (25-17). 

This change could affect El Paso commuters whose clocks are on Mountain time, forcing students to get up an hour earlier to get to class on time. If either bill is passed, the change in time zone will be put into effect in 2020, giving New Mexico an extra hour of daylight in the mornings.  

“If you live and work in El Paso, you’re going to have to balance between two different time zones,” NMSU commuter Fiona St. Pierre said, “NMSU could see enrollment from west Texas drop.” 

St. Pierre commutes 35 minutes from El Paso every morning. Many El Paso residents attending the university face longer commutes to get to class, 45 minutes to an hour in some cases. 

Existing federal law requires the entire state of New Mexico to advance one hour in March through a period know as daylight saving time. This advancement lasts eight months and requires New Mexico residents to switch their clocks twice a year. However, the federal law authorizes states that lie entirely under one time zone to exempt themselves from daylight savings.