A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 1-08 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to requiring the state to observe daylight saving time year round; to repeal section 40-01-20 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to daylight saving time; and to provide a contingent effective date.
Summary
HB 1259 would have required North Dakota and all of its political subdivisions to observe daylight saving time year round, making daylight saving time the standard time for the state. To do that, the bill creates a new section in Chapter 1-08 of the North Dakota Century Code and repeals the existing state law governing daylight saving time.
The bill also includes a contingent effective date, meaning it would not take effect unless two conditions were met: Congress first amended federal law to allow states to observe daylight saving time year round, and Minnesota, Montana, and South Dakota each began doing the same. In other words, the measure was designed to align North Dakota with neighboring states only if federal law and regional adoption made that possible.
Impact
If enacted, HB 1259 would have changed North Dakota’s timekeeping law by replacing the current daylight saving time framework with permanent daylight saving time statewide. It would have affected state government and local political subdivisions, which would be required to follow the new standard, and it would have repealed the existing statutory provision on daylight saving time. Because the bill was contingent on federal authorization and neighboring states’ action, it would not have changed state law unless those external conditions were satisfied.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have had meaningful support in the House, where it passed second reading 55-37, but it faced stronger opposition in the Senate, where it failed 15-32 on second reading. That voting pattern suggests the proposal was controversial but not broadly divisive in the House, while encountering substantial resistance in the Senate. No committee transcripts were provided, so the available record reflects the votes more than any detailed floor debate.
Contention
The main point of contention was whether North Dakota should adopt permanent daylight saving time at all, especially given the uncertainty of federal approval and the requirement that neighboring states move in the same direction. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a way to simplify time observance and align with regional practice, while opponents appear to have been unconvinced by the policy change or the contingent nature of the proposal. The Senate’s decisive rejection indicates that concerns about practicality, timing, or the desirability of year-round daylight saving time outweighed support for the measure.
A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 1-08 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to requiring the state to observe daylight saving time year round; to repeal section 40-01-20 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to daylight saving time; and to provide a contingent effective date.
A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 1-08 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the adoption of central standard time; and to repeal section 40-01-20 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to daylight saving time.
Relating to observing standard time year-round and authorizing a statewide referendum allowing voters to indicate a preference for observing standard time year-round or observing daylight saving time year-round.