BILL ANALYSIS

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The United States Congress and state legislatures have addressed issues pertaining to standard time and daylight saving time. While some state legislatures have opted to observe standard time year round, the United States Senate passed the Sunset Protection Act in 2022, which would make daylight saving time permanent in the United States for states who choose to observe daylight saving time year-round.

This legislation would ensure that Texans will no longer have to change their clocks twice a year if states are authorized by the federal government to observe daylight saving time year round. H.B. 1422 authorizes the observation of daylight saving time year-round. The State of Texas would still need federal approval for this to occur.

H.B. 1422 amends current law relating to daylight saving time.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 312.016, Government Code, by adding Subsection (d), as follows:

(d) Requires this state, acting as authorized under federal law, to observe daylight saving time year-round. Provides that this subsection applies to both the portion of this state using central standard time as the official standard time and the portion of this state using mountain standard time as the official standard time.

SECTION 2. (a) Effective date, except as otherwise provided by this section: September 1, 2023.

(b) Provides that this Act is contingent upon the passage by the United States Congress of legislation that becomes law that authorizes the State of Texas to observe daylight saving time year-round.