[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 704 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 704

To permit the States in the Pacific time zone to temporarily adjust the 
            standard time in response to the energy crisis.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 14, 2001

Mr. Sherman (for himself, Mr. Doolittle, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Gary Miller of 
    California, Mr. Filner, Mr. Hunter, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Ms. 
   Woolsey, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. 
Lofgren, Mr. Honda, and Mr. George Miller of California) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To permit the States in the Pacific time zone to temporarily adjust the 
            standard time in response to the energy crisis.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Energy Time Adjustment Authorization 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the State of California is experiencing an energy 
        crisis that imperils commercial and residential energy 
        consumers throughout the State;
            (2) the energy crisis has the potential to spread to other 
        States, especially States in the Pacific time zone;
            (3) States have a responsibility to employ all means of 
        energy reduction that will alleviate pressure on their energy 
        infrastructure;
            (4) the observance of daylight savings time results in 
        significant reductions in energy use and was widely used in the 
        20th century as an energy reduction tool;
            (5) section 3 of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 
        260a) allows States to exempt themselves from observance of 
        daylight savings time and to observe standard time year-round, 
        but does not allow States to observe daylight savings time 
        year-round; and
            (6) the States in the Pacific time zone would greatly 
        benefit from having the option of adjusting the standard time 
        during the energy crisis.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding the Act of March 19, 1918 (15 
U.S.C. 261-264), if the Legislature of any of the States of California, 
Nevada, Oregon, or Washington makes a finding that adjusting the 
standard time is necessary to help alleviate the energy crisis, the 
Legislature of such State may make any adjustments to the standard 
time, on a statewide basis, as it considers necessary.
    (b) Subsequent State Authority.--The Legislature of any State 
referred to in subsection (a) may make the same adjustment made by any 
other State that has acted under subsection (a), without making the 
finding required by that subsection.

SEC. 4. STANDARD TIME.

    For the purposes of the Act of March 19, 1918 (15 U.S.C. 261-264), 
adjusted time implemented pursuant to section 3 of this Act shall be 
considered the standard time in those States where it is in effect.

SEC. 5. EXPIRATION.

    The authority to have adjusted time in effect pursuant to section 3 
shall expire after December 31, 2003.
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