S293

An Act requiring the observation of permanent standard time year-round in the State of New Jersey, and amending and supplementing chapter 1 of Title 1 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New Section) The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. The federal “Standard Time Act of 1918,” Public Law 65-106, 40 Stat. 450, established standard time zones for the United States bounded by the designated meridian lines, including the zone designated as “United States Standard Eastern Time” in which this State was placed, and provided for the advancement of time for each zone by one hour from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October each year, a practice commonly referred to as “daylight saving time.”

b. The federal “Uniform Time Act of 1966,” (15 U.S.C. s.260a,) was enacted by Congress to promote the adoption and observance of uniform time within the standard time zones of the United States. The “Uniform Time Act of 1966” did the following:

(1) expanded and renamed the standard time zones, renaming the time zone, into which this State was placed as “Eastern Standard Time”;

(2) established daylight saving time as beginning on the last Sunday in April and ending on the last Sunday in October each year; and

(3) authorized a state entirely situated within one time zone, as this State is, to exempt itself from the change to daylight saving time, as long as it does so uniformly as an entire state.

c. In 1986, Congress moved the beginning of daylight saving time to the first Sunday in April.

d. Through the “Energy Policy Act of 2005,” Public Law 109-58, Congress established the second Sunday of March as the beginning of daylight saving time and the first Sunday in November as the end of daylight saving time.

e. The biannual change of time between Eastern Standard Time and Eastern Daylight Time is disruptive to commerce and to the daily schedules, safety, and health of the residents of this State.

f. Studies have shown that remaining permanently on standard time allows this State to avoid the following negative effects of the time shifts:

(1) millions of dollars in estimated economic losses due to decreased productivity, increased healthcare costs, and increased workplace injuries;

(2) increased risks of cardiological issues including heart attack, stroke, and atrial fibrillation;

(3) reduction in sleep quality, which has been attributed to a notable increase in automobile accidents, including fatal accidents; and

(4) adverse effects on mental health, including increased rates of mood disorders and suicide.

g. Remaining permanently on standard time has been shown to provide the ideal alignment with human circadian biology, and in turn promotes public health, provides increased safety, and enhances economic productivity.

h. Due to the negative ramifications associated with daylight saving time and the notable benefits of permanent standard time, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that the United States should eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of a national fixed year-round time.

2. R.S.1:1-2.3 is amended to read as follows:

1:1-2.3. The standard time of this State shall be [the time of the seventy-fifth meridian west from Greenwich] Coordinated Universal Time minus five hours, and wherever time is named within this State, in any manner whatsoever, it shall be deemed and taken to be such standard time [, except that the standard time of this State shall be 1 hour in advance of such prescribed time from 2:00 A.M. on the last Sunday in April until 2:00 A.M. on the last Sunday in October in each year, and except where otherwise expressed].

(cf: P.L.1955, c.47, s.1)

3. This act shall take effect immediately, except that this act shall take effect on the first Sunday in November next following enactment if enacted between the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the State of New Jersey to permanently observe standard time by ending the observance of daylight saving time.

For four months, the standard time of New Jersey is Eastern Standard Time, or five hours offset from Coordinated Universal Time. Under current law, from 2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday in March until 2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday in November, the State participates in the one-hour advancement of time, commonly referred to as “daylight saving time.”

Studies have shown that this shift in time has certain negative consequences, including millions of dollars in estimated economic losses due to decreased productivity, increased healthcare costs, and increased workplace injuries; increased risks of cardiological issues including heart attack, stroke, and atrial fibrillation; reduction in sleep quality which has been attributed to a notable increase in automobile accidents, including fatal accidents; and adverse effects on mental health, including increased rates of mood disorders and suicide.

Remaining permanently on standard time has been shown to provide the ideal alignment with human circadian biology, and in turn, promotes public health, provides increased safety, and enhances economic productivity. Due to the negative ramifications associated with the time shifts and the notable benefits of permanent standard time, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that the United States should eliminate seasonal time changes in favor of a national fixed year-round time.

This bill would take effect immediately if the date of enactment falls outside of daylight saving time. If enactment occurs during daylight saving time, this bill would take effect immediately following the end of daylight saving time.