HB 2119

H-2476.2
  HOUSE BILL 2119
State of Washington       69th Legislature       2026 Regular Session
By Representatives Dufault, Marshall, Dye, Griffey, and Bernbaum
Prefiled 12/09/25. Read first time 01/12/26.    Referred to Committee
on State Government & Tribal Relations.
1      AN ACT Relating to moving Washington state to permanent standard
2  time; amending RCW 1.20.050 and 35A.21.190; amending 2019 c 297 s 4
3  (uncodified); creating a new section; repealing RCW 1.20.055;
4  repealing 2019 c 297 s 3; and repealing 2019 c 297 s 5 (uncodified).
5  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
6     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 1.    The legislature finds that the biannual
7 shift between standard time and daylight saving time imposes
8 avoidable and well-documented burdens on the health, safety, and
9 economic well-being of Washington residents. A growing body of
10 medical and public health research demonstrates that the abrupt
11 changes to the sleep-wake cycle disrupt circadian rhythms and are
12 associated with increased rates of cardiac events, workplace
13 injuries, traffic collisions, and reduced productivity in the days
14 immediately   following   the   time   change.  These   impacts  fall
15 disproportionately on children, older adults, individuals with sleep
16 disorders, and workers in safety-sensitive occupations.
17     The legislature further finds that maintaining permanent standard
18 time provides a more stable alignment with human biological clocks,
19 reduces seasonal sleep debt, and supports long-term health outcomes.
20 Leading sleep medicine organizations have concluded that permanent
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1 standard time is the option most consistent with optimal public
2 health.
3     In addition to health and safety benefits, the legislature
4 recognizes that eliminating the biannual clock adjustments will
5 reduce administrative and operational costs across both public and
6 private sectors. Businesses, school districts, transit agencies,
7 health care systems, and state and local governments incur recurring
8 expenses related to schedule adjustments, system reconfiguration,
9 software updates, and public communication each time the clock is
10 changed. Permanent standard time eliminates these inefficiencies and
11 aligns   Washington  with   the   growing  number    of jurisdictions
12 reconsidering the necessity of daylight saving time.
13     Therefore, it is the intent of the legislature to discontinue the
14 practice of observing daylight saving time and to place the state of
15 Washington on permanent standard time in order to promote public
16 health, enhance safety, improve government and business efficiency,
17 and reduce unnecessary costs.
18     Sec. 2. RCW 1.20.050 and 1953 c 2 s 1 are each amended to read
19 as follows:
20     (1) The standard time for the state of Washington is the zone
21 designated by the United States department of transportation for the
22 state of Washington under the uniform time act, 15 U.S.C. Secs. 261
23 and 263, as determined by reference to coordinated universal time.
24     (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary by
25 the United States government relating to adoption of daylight saving
26 time by all of the states, the state of Washington elects to reject
27 such time and elects to continue in force the terms of subsection (1)
28 of this section, relating to standard time in Washington.
29     (3) No county, city, or other political subdivision of this state
30 shall adopt any provision for the observance of daylight saving time,
31 or any time other than standard((, except pursuant to a gubernatorial
32 proclamation declaring an emergency during a period of national war
33 and authorizing such adoption, or)) unless ((other than standard))
34 another time is established on a national basis: PROVIDED, That this
35 section shall not apply to orders made by federal authorities in a
36 local area entirely under federal control.
37     (4) This section shall not be construed to affect the standard
38 time established by United States law governing the movements of
39 common carriers engaged in interstate commerce or the time for
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1 performance of an act by an officer or department of the United
2 States, as established by a statute, lawful order, rule, or
3 regulation of the United States or an agency thereof.
4     Sec. 3.   RCW 35A.21.190 and 1967 ex.s. c 119 s 35A.21.190 are
5 each amended to read as follows:
6     No code city shall adopt any provision for the observance of
7 daylight saving time other than as authorized by RCW 1.20.050 ((and
8 1.20.051)).
9     Sec. 4.    2019 c 297 s 4 (uncodified) is amended to read as
10 follows:
11     The following acts or parts of acts are each repealed:
12     (1) ((RCW 1.20.050 (Standard time—Daylight saving time) and 1953
13 c 2 s 1;
14     (2))) RCW 1.20.051 (Daylight saving time) and 2018 c 22 s 2, 1963
15 c 14 s 1, & 1961 c 3 s 1; and
16     (((3))) (2) RCW ((1.20.--- and 2019 c . . . s 1 (section 1 of
17 this act))) 1.20.052 and 2019 c 297 s 1.
18     NEW SECTION.   Sec. 5.   The following acts or parts of acts are
19 each repealed:
20     (1) 2019 c 297 s 3;
21     (2) RCW 1.20.055 and 2019 c 297 s 2; and
22     (3) 2019 c 297 s 5 (uncodified).
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