SENATE BILL 239

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2017

INTRODUCED BY

Cliff R. Pirtle

AN ACT

RELATING TO TIME; SETTING MOUNTAIN DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME AS THE PERMANENT YEAR-ROUND TIME FOR THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:

     SECTION 1. [NEW MATERIAL] FINDINGS.--The legislature finds that:

          A. the federal Standard Time Act of 1918, Public Law 65-106, established standard time zones for the United States bounded by designated meridian lines, including the mountain standard time zone in which the state of New Mexico is placed, and the standard time zone designations have since become geographic names of regional identity;

          B. the federal Uniform Time Act of 1966, Public Law 89-387, was enacted by congress to "promote the adoption and observance of uniform time within the standard times zones" of the United States and established an annual advancement from standard time in March of each year, commonly called "daylight saving time" and an annual return to standard time approximately eight months later;

          C. Section 3 of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 authorizes a state that is entirely situated within one time zone, as is the state of New Mexico, to exempt itself from the change to daylight saving time as long as it does so uniformly as an entire state;

          D. the residents and businesses of the state of New Mexico have become much more habituated to the eight months of daylight saving time per year than the four months of standard time per year; and

          E. the biannual change of time between mountain standard time and mountain daylight saving time is disruptive to commerce and to the daily schedules of the residents of the state of New Mexico.

     SECTION 2. [NEW MATERIAL] APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER OF TIME ZONE--ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIFORM STATE TIME--PERMANENT BASIS.--

          A. Prior to January 1, 2018, the office of the governor shall apply to the United States secretary of transportation for the state of New Mexico to be transferred to the central time zone pursuant to the federal Standard Time Act of 1918.

          B. Upon approval of a transfer to the central time zone by the United States secretary of transportation, the uniform time within the state of New Mexico shall be coordinated universal time negatively offset by six hours throughout the year.

          C. The uniform time within the state of New Mexico shall be known as mountain daylight saving time.

     SECTION 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.--The effective date of the provisions of this act is July 1, 2017.

- 3 -