| The Uniform Time Act of 1966 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This law standardized observance of time and requires all states and territories to follow the time zones set at the national level including daylight saving time as defined at the national level. States may opt out of DST but cannot observe DST using different dates than the national standard. This ended the issue of local jurisdictions choosing their own time observances (such as different DST dates and including obsvering DST in winter). The 1972 modification corrected an error in the inital law that would require a state to opt out their entire state regardless of being divided into two time zones. Case in point was Indiana, a state that wanted to opt out of DST in the eastern time zone but not opt out in the central time zone. Technically the counties near Chicago and Evansville would have been forced to follow CST (UTC-06) instead of Chicago Time (CDT UTC-05) leading to an issue where those counties would have observed a time one hour behind all surrounding territory. Note there is no protection preventing a state from opting out only their westernmost time zone or a single time zone state opting out and creating an area surrounded by areas one hour advanced. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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To promote the observance of a uniform system of time throughout the United States. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Uniform Time Act of 1966". SEC. 2. It is the policy of the United States to promote the adoption and observance of uniform time within the standard time zones prescribed by the Act entitled "An Act to save daylight and to provide standard time for the United States", approved March 19, 1918 (40 Stat. 450; 15 U.S.C. 261-264), as modified by the Act entitled "An Act to transfer the Panhandle and Plains section of Texas and Oklahoma to the United States standard central time zone", approved March 4,1921 (41 Stat. 1446; 15 U.S.C. 265). To this end the Interstate Commerce Commission is authorized and directed to foster and promote widespread and uniform adoption and observance of the same standard of time within and throughout each such standard time zone. SEC. 3. (a) During the period commencing at 2 o'clock antemeridian on the last Sunday of April of each year and ending at 2 o'clock antemeridian on the last Sunday of October of each year, the standard time of each zone established by the Act of March 19, 1918 (15 U.S.C. 261-264), as modified by the Act of March 4, 1921 (15 U.S.C. 265), shall be advanced one hour and such time as so advanced shall for the purposes of such Act of March 19,1918, as so modified, be the standard time of such zone during such period; except that any State may by law exempt itself from the provisions of this subsection providing for the advancement of time, but only if such law provides that the entire State (including all political subdivisions thereof) shall observe the standard time otherwise applicable under such Act of March 19, 1918, as so modified, during such period. (b) It is hereby declared that it is the express intent of Congress by this section to supersede any and all laws of the States or political subdivisions thereof insofar as they may now or hereafter provide for advances in time or changeover dates different from those specified in this section. (c) For any violation of the provisions of this section the Interstate Commerce Commission or its duly authorized agent may apply to the district court of the United States for the district in wnich such violation occurs for the enforcement of this section; and such court shall have jurisdiction to enforce obedience thereto by writ of injunction or by other process, mandatory or otherwise, restraining against further violations of this section and enjoining obedience thereto. SEC. 4. (a) The first section of the Act of March 19, 1918, as amended (15 U.S.C. 261), is amended to read as follows: "That for the purpose of establishing the standard time of the United States, the territory of the United States shall be divided into eight zones in the manner provided in this section. Except as provided in section 3(a) of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, the standard time of the first zone shall be based on the mean solar time of the sixtieth degree of longitude west from Greenwich; that of the second zone on the seventy-fifth degree; that of the third zone on the ninetieth degree; that of the fourth zone on the one hundred and fifth degree; that of the fifth zone on the one hundred and twentieth degree; that of the sixth zone on the one hundred and thirty-fifth degree; that of the seventh zone on the one hundred and fiftieth degree; and that of the eighth zone on the one hundred and sixty-fifth degree. The limits of each zone shall be defined by an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission, having regard for the convenience of commerce and the existing junction points and division points of common carriers engaged in interstate or foreign commerce, and any such order may be modificd from time to time. As used in this Act, the term 'interstate or foreign commerce' means commerce between a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States, and any place outside thereof." (b) Section 2 of such Act is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 2. Within the respective zones created under the authority of this Act the standard time of the zone shall insofar as practicable (as determined by the Interstate Commerce Commission) govern the movement of all common carriers engaged in interstate or foreign commerce. In all statutes, orders, rules, and regulations relating to the time of performance of any act by any officer or department of the United States, whether in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of the Government, or relating to the time within which any rights shall accrue or determine, or within which an act shall or shall not be performed by any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, it shall be understood and intended that the time shall insofar as practicable (as determined by the Interstate Commerce Commission) be the United States standard time of the zone within which the act is to be performed." (c) Section 4 of such Act is amended to read as follows: "SEC. 4. The standard time of the first zone shall be known and designated as Atlantic standard time; that of the second zone shall be known and designated as eastern standard time; that of the third zone shall be known and designated as central standard time; that of the fourth zone shall be known and designated as mountain standard time; that of the fifth zone shall be known and designated as Pacific standard time; that of the sixth zone shall be known and designated as Yukon standard time; that of the seventh zone shall be known and designated as Alaska-Hawaii standard time; and that of the eighth zone shall be known and designated as Bering standard time." SEC. 5. The Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 1001-1011) shall apply to all proceedings under this Act, the Act of March 19, 1918 (15 U.S.C. 261-264), and the Act of March 4, 1921 (15 U.S.C. 265). SEC. 6. This Act shall take effect on April 1,1967: except that if any State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States, or any political subdivision thereof, observes daylight saving time in the year 1966, such time shall advance the standard time otherwise applicable in such place by one hour and shall commence at 2 o'clock antemeridian on the last Sunday in April of the year 1966 and shall end at -2 o'clock antemeridian on the last Sunday in October of the year 1966. SEC. 7. As used in this Act, the term "State" includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States. Approved April 13, 1966. To amend the Uniform Time Act to allow an option in the adoption of advanced time in certain cases. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 3(a) of the Uniform Time Act of 1966 (15 U.S.C. 260a) is amended by striking out all after the semicolon and inserting the following in place thereof: "however, (1) any State that lies entirely within one time zone may by law exempt itself from the provisions of this subsection providing for the advancement of time, but only if that law provides that the entire State (including all political subdivisions thereof) shall observe the standard time otherwise applicable during that period, and (2) any State with parts thereof in more than one time zone may by law exempt either the entire State as provided in (1) or may exempt the entire area of the State lying within any time zone." Approved March 30, 1972. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 §260. It is the policy of the United States to promote the adoption and observance of uniform time within the standard time zones prescribed by the Act entitled "An Act to save daylight and to provide standard time for the United States", approved March 19, 1918 (40 Stat. 450; 15 U.S.C. 261-264), as modified by the Act entitled "An Act to transfer the Panhandle and Plains section of Texas and Oklahoma to the United States standard central time zone", approved March 4,1921 (41 Stat. 1446; 15 U.S.C. 265). To this end the Interstate Commerce Commission is authorized and directed to foster and promote widespread and uniform adoption and observance of the same standard of time within and throughout each such standard time zone. (Pub. L. 89–387, §2, Apr. 13, 1966, 80 Stat. 107.) (a) During the period commencing at 2 o'clock antemeridian on the last Sunday of April of each year and ending at 2 o'clock antemeridian on the last Sunday of October of each year, the standard time of each zone established by the Act of March 19, 1918 (15 U.S.C. 261-264), as modified by the Act of March 4, 1921 (15 U.S.C. 265), shall be advanced one hour and such time as so advanced shall for the purposes of such Act of March 19,1918, as so modified, be the standard time of such zone during such period; except that any State may by law exempt itself from the provisions of this subsection providing for the advancement of time, but only if such law provides that the entire State (including all political subdivisions thereof) shall observe the standard time otherwise applicable under such Act of March 19, 1918, as so modified, during such period. however, (1) any State that lies entirely within one time zone may by law exempt itself from the provisions of this subsection providing for the advancement of time, but only if that law provides that the entire State (including all political subdivisions thereof) shall observe the standard time otherwise applicable during that period, and (2) any State with parts thereof in more than one time zone may by law exempt either the entire State as provided in (1) or may exempt the entire area of the State lying within any time zone. (b) It is hereby declared that it is the express intent of Congress by this section to supersede any and all laws of the States or political subdivisions thereof insofar as they may now or hereafter provide for advances in time or changeover dates different from those specified in this section. (c) For any violation of the provisions of this section the Interstate Commerce Commission or its duly authorized agent may apply to the district court of the United States for the district in wnich such violation occurs for the enforcement of this section; and such court shall have jurisdiction to enforce obedience thereto by writ of injunction or by other process, mandatory or otherwise, restraining against further violations of this section and enjoining obedience thereto. (Pub. L. 89–387, §3, Apr. 13, 1966, 80 Stat. 107; Pub. L. 92–267, Mar. 30, 1972, 86 Stat. 116.) §261. SEC. 1 That for the purpose of establishing the standard time of the United States, the territory of the United States shall be divided into eight zones in the manner provided in this section. Except as provided in section 3(a) of the Uniform Time Act of 1966, the standard time of the first zone shall be based on the mean solar time of the sixtieth degree of longitude west from Greenwich; that of the second zone on the seventy-fifth degree; that of the third zone on the ninetieth degree; that of the fourth zone on the one hundred and fifth degree; that of the fifth zone on the one hundred and twentieth degree; that of the sixth zone on the one hundred and thirty-fifth degree; that of the seventh zone on the one hundred and fiftieth degree; and that of the eighth zone on the one hundred and sixty-fifth degree. The limits of each zone shall be defined by an order of the Interstate Commerce Commission, having regard for the convenience of commerce and the existing junction points and division points of common carriers engaged in interstate or foreign commerce, and any such order may be modificd from time to time. As used in this Act, the term 'interstate or foreign commerce' means commerce between a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States, and any place outside thereof. ( §262. SEC. 2 Within the respective zones created under the authority of this Act the standard time of the zone shall insofar as practicable (as determined by the Interstate Commerce Commission) govern the movement of all common carriers engaged in interstate or foreign commerce. In all statutes, orders, rules, and regulations relating to the time of performance of any act by any officer or department of the United States, whether in the legislative, executive, or judicial branches of the Government, or relating to the time within which any rights shall accrue or determine, or within which an act shall or shall not be performed by any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, it shall be understood and intended that the time shall insofar as practicable (as determined by the Interstate Commerce Commission) be the United States standard time of the zone within which the act is to be performed. ( §263. SEC. 4 The standard time of the first zone shall be known and designated as Atlantic standard time; that of the second zone shall be known and designated as eastern standard time; that of the third zone shall be known and designated as central standard time; that of the fourth zone shall be known and designated as mountain standard time; that of the fifth zone shall be known and designated as Pacific standard time; that of the sixth zone shall be known and designated as Yukon standard time; that of the seventh zone shall be known and designated as Alaska-Hawaii standard time; and that of the eighth zone shall be known and designated as Bering standard time. ( §264. SEC. 3 In the division of territory, and in the definition of the limits of each zone, as hereinbefore provided, so much of the State of Idaho as lies south of the Salmon River, traversing the State from east to west near forty-five degrees thirty minutes latitude shall be embraced in the third zone: Provided, That common carriers within such portion of the State of Idaho may conduct their operations on Pacific time. (Mar. 19, 1918, ch. 24, §3, as added Mar. 3, 1923, ch. 216, 42 Stat. 1434; amended June 24, 1948, ch. 631, §1, 62 Stat. 646.) §265. That the Panhandle and Plains section of Texas and Oklahoma be, and the same are hereby, transferred to and placed within the United States standard central time zone. The Interstate Commerce Commission is hereby authorized and directed to issue an order placing the western boundary line of the United States standard central time zone in so far as the same affect Texas and Oklahoma as follows: Beginning at a point where such western boundary time zone line crosses the State boundary line between Kansas and Oklahoma; thence westerly along said State boundary line to the northwest corner of the State of Oklahoma; thence in a southerly direction along the west State boundary line of Oklahoma and the west State boundary line of Texas to the southeastern corner of the State of New Mexico; thence in a westerly direction along the State boundary line between the States of Texas and New Mexico to the Rio Grande River; thence down the Rio Grande River as the boundary line between the United States and Mexico: Provided, That the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railway Company and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company may use Tucumcari, New Mexico, as the point at which they change from central to mountain time and vice versa; the Colorado Southern and Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Companies may use Sixela, New Mexico, as such changing point; the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company and other branches of the Santa Fe System may use Clovis, New Mexico, as such changing point, and those railways running into or through El Paso may use El Paso as such point: Provided further, That this Act shall not, except as herein provided, interfere with the adjustment of time zones as established by the Interstate Commerce Commission. (Mar. 4, 1921, ch. 173, §1, 41 Stat. 1446.) §266. SEC. 5 The Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 1001-1011) shall apply to all proceedings under this Act, the Act of March 19, 1918 (15 U.S.C. 261-264), and the Act of March 4, 1921 (15 U.S.C. 265). (Pub. L. 89–387, §5, Apr. 13, 1966, 80 Stat. 108.) §267. SEC. 6. As used in this Act, the term "State" includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any possession of the United States. (Pub. L. 89–387, §7, Apr. 13, 1966, 80 Stat. 109.)
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