HB 153 — An Act amending the act of April 13, 1887 (P.L.21, No.18), entitled "An act for the establishment of a uniform standard of time throughout the Commonwealth," observing daylight saving time year-around if authorized by the Congress of the United States.

PRINTER'S NO.    113

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 153
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY M. MACKENZIE, JAMES, MARCELL, ROAE, SOLOMON, SMITH
        AND STAATS, JANUARY 16, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND
        OPERATIONS, JANUARY 16, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of April 13, 1887 (P.L.21, No.18), entitled "An
 2      act for the establishment of a uniform standard of time
 3      throughout the Commonwealth," observing daylight saving time
 4      year-around if authorized by the Congress of the United
 5      States.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.    Section 1 of the act of April 13, 1887 (P.L.21,
 9   No.18), entitled "An act for the establishment of a uniform
10   standard of time throughout the Commonwealth," is amended to
11   read:
12      Section 1.    Be it enacted, &c., That (a) on and after the
13   first day of July, Anno Domini one thousand eight hundred and
14   eighty-seven, the mean solar time of the seventy-fifth meridian
15   of longitude west of Greenwich, commonly called eastern standard
16   time, shall be the sole and uniform legal standard of time
17   throughout this Commonwealth; and on and after the date
18   aforesaid all days shall everywhere be taken to begin and end in
19   accordance with said standard; and every mention of, or
 1   reference to, any hour or time in any and all existing future
 2   acts of Assembly, municipal ordinances, and corporate bylaws, in
 3   any and all existing or future rules or regulations adopted by
 4   any public officer or official board, in any and all rules of
 5   the courts of the Commonwealth or any of them, whether standing
 6   or special, and whether now in force or hereafter to be
 7   promulgated, in any and all orders, judgments and decrees of
 8   said courts of any of them, and judgments and sentences of
 9   magistrates pronounced or entered on or after the date
10   aforesaid, in any and all contracts, deeds, wills, and notices,
11   and in the transaction of all matters of business, public,
12   legal, commercial, or otherwise,--shall be construed with
13   reference to, and in accordance with, the said standard hereby
14   adopted, unless a different standard is therein expressly
15   provided for: Provided, however, That this act shall not operate
16   to impose upon any person any forfeiture of rights, or subject
17   him to the consequences of any default, by reason of any
18   failure, occurring prior to the date aforesaid, to comply with
19   the requirement of, or do any act under or in pursuance of any
20   law, ordinance, contract, notice, deed, will, regulation, rule,
21   order, judgment, sentence, or decree, if such person shall,
22   before the said date, have properly done the act or acts which
23   would be requisite to save such forfeiture or prevent such
24   default had this law not been enacted: And provided, further,
25   That when the standard time shall be advanced, for any portion
26   of the year, by any act of Congress, now in force or hereafter
27   passed, the time so fixed by such act of Congress shall be the
28   standard time of this Commonwealth for such portion of the year:
29   And provided, That no county, city, borough, town, township, or
30   other municipal subdivision of the Commonwealth shall, by

20250HB0153PN0113                 - 2 -
 1   ordinance, resolution, or rule, adopt a different standard of
 2   time for any year, or any portion of the year, than that herein
 3   provided; and all ordinances, resolutions and rules heretofore
 4   adopted, contrary to this proviso, are declared to be void and
 5   of no effect.
 6      (b)   Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), the
 7   standard of time in this State, between 2 o'clock antemeridian
 8   on the last Sunday in April and 2 o'clock antemeridian on the
 9   last Sunday in October of each year, shall be one hour in
10   advance of that prescribed above, commonly known as daylight
11   saving time. If the Congress of the United States authorizes
12   states to observe daylight saving time year-round, the standard
13   of time in this Commonwealth shall be daylight saving time year-
14   round.
15      Section 2.   The amendment of section 1 of the act shall apply
16   to calendar years beginning on and after the effective date of
17   this section.
18      Section 3.   This act shall take effect in 60 days.




20250HB0153PN0113                  - 3 -