Permanent standard time.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Steve Choi and 2 co-sponsors

The bill would codify year-round standard time in California, eliminating daylight saving time changes.

May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.

#permanentstandardtime

Bill Summary: SB 1197 (2025-2026) — Permanent Standard Time (California)

Purpose and Intended Effect

The bill seeks to establish permanent standard time in California, effectively ending the periodic clock changes (daylight saving time) and keeping the state on standard time year-round.

The underlying goal is to provide year-round standard time consistency, potentially reducing the health, safety, and circadian disruption associated with daylight saving time transitions.

Key Provisions

The bill would codify permanent standard time in state law, removing the requirement to observe daylight saving time changes in the future.

It designates standard time as the authorized, fixed time throughout the year for California, rather than adjusting clocks forward in spring and back in fall.

Affected Parties and Impacts

Affected: California residents and businesses, state agencies, schools, transportation planners, and any entities operating on or scheduling activities by time-of-day.

Impacts include:

A shift in daily schedules to a year-round standard time, which may align better with natural daylight patterns for many regions.
Potential implications for coordination with other states and federal timekeeping requirements, especially insofar as the state’s time remains fixed relative to Pacific Standard Time.
Possible logistical considerations for industries reliant on daylight saving transitions (e.g., aviation, commerce, broadcasting), as inter-jurisdictional coordination may be affected.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

Introduction and referrals:

Introduced and referred to committee on Government Organizational (RLS) with subsequent assignment and printing.

Committee process:

February–March 2026: Referred to committees (initially E., U & C; later re-referred to APPR).
April 7, 2026: Passed from Committee on E., U & C and re-referred to APPR with a vote of 10 ayes, 1 no.
April 20, 2026: Placed on the APPR suspense file; set for hearing.
May 8, 2026: Set for hearing May 14.
May 14, 2026: Hearing held; bill is under submission in committee (not yet action passed in that session step).

Status and Next Steps

As of the latest action, the bill is under committee consideration and has not yet advanced to a floor vote or enactment.

If the committee approves and moves the bill, it would proceed to the full chamber for consideration, potential amendments, and final passage, followed by, if applicable, reconciliation with the other legislative chamber and signature by the governor.

Practical Considerations

Timekeeping harmonization: While the bill would establish permanent standard time, California would still need to coordinate with federal and interstate time standards and any federal legislation that governs timekeeping.

Public communication: Adoption would require public outreach to inform residents and businesses about the change and its year-round nature.

Implementation timeline: The bill does not specify an exact effective date beyond establishing year-round standard time; if enacted, agencies would need to set implementation milestones for clocks, schedules, and systems.

Note: This summary reflects the content and procedural status available from the provided legislative history and does not include amendments that may be offered later in the process.