FINAL BILL REPORT

SHB 1196

C 297 L 19

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Allowing for the year round observation of daylight saving time.

Sponsors: House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Riccelli, Steele, Stonier, Fitzgibbon, Ortiz-Self, Tarleton, Doglio, Schmick, Eslick, Lovick, Fey, Shea, Tharinger and Goodman).

House Committee on State Government & Tribal Relations

House Committee on Appropriations

Senate Committee on State Government, Tribal Relations & Elections

Background:

The State of Washington is located in the Pacific Time Zone. Standard time in the Pacific Time Zone is known as Pacific Standard Time (PST), which is offset by negative eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

In 1951 Washington voters approved an initiative that prohibited counties, cities, or other political subdivisions from observing daylight saving time or any time other than PST, unless the Governor provided otherwise during a period of national war. In 1961 Washington voters reversed course and approved an initiative to institute a statewide daylight saving time period during which time would be advanced by one hour. This daylight saving time period lasted from 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in April until 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in September. In 1963 the state passed a law extending daylight saving time until 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday in October. During the daylight saving time period, Washington observes Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), which is offset from UTC by negative seven hours.

In 1966 Congress passed the Uniform Time Act (UTA) to adopt a uniform system for keeping time within the standard time zones of the United States. The UTA included a daylight saving time period from April to October—the same dates that Washington had established just a few years prior. The UTA permits states to opt out of observing daylight saving time so long as the entire state does so. (For states that lie in multiple time zones, the entire area within any time zone may opt out.)

Beginning in 2007 Congress extended the daylight saving time period to start at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March and end at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November. Federal law does not permit a state to observe daylight saving time at any other time of year.

Summary:

The state and all of its political subdivisions must follow PDT throughout the year, if federal law changes to allow the state to do so.

Votes on Final Passage: