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SB541 • 2026

Time zone; permanent Eastern Standard Time in the Commonwealth.

A BILL to amend and reenact § 1-253 of the Code of Virginia, relating to time zone; permanent Eastern Standard Time in the Commonwealth.

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Stuart
Last action
2026-03-06
Official status
Continued
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not specify the exact conditions under which it becomes effective beyond requiring similar laws from Maryland and Washington D.C.

Permanent Eastern Standard Time for Virginia

This bill makes Virginia permanently use Eastern Standard Time if Maryland and Washington D.C. also decide to do so.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes the law in Virginia to make it permanent Eastern Standard Time, but only after both Maryland and Washington D.C. pass similar laws.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People living in Virginia
  • Government agencies and officials in Virginia

Terms To Know

Eastern Standard Time (EST)
The time zone used during the winter months, which is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-5).
Daylight Saving Time
A period when clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time to make better use of daylight.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill will only take effect if Maryland and Washington D.C. pass similar laws.
  • It does not specify what happens if only one or neither of the other states passes a similar law.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SB541ASC1

2026-02-11 • Committee

General Laws and Technology Amendment

Plain English: The amendment removes specific lines from the existing bill text related to time zone designation in Virginia.

  • Removes lines 28 through 30 from the current bill text.
  • The exact content of the removed lines is not provided, so it's unclear what specific information or rules were being struck out.
SB541AS1

2026-02-12 • Committee

General Laws and Technology Amendment

Plain English: The amendment changes a Virginia law to require permanent use of Eastern Standard Time if both Washington D.C. and Maryland also decide to permanently use it.

  • Removes part of an existing law that talks about time zone decisions.
  • Adds new language requiring Virginia to follow Eastern Standard Time permanently, but only if the District of Columbia and Maryland do the same.
  • The exact impact on daily life in Virginia is not clear without knowing what D.C. and Maryland will decide.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-06 Rules

    Continued to 2027 in Rules (Voice Vote)

  2. 2026-03-02 Studies Subcommittee

    Subcommittee recommends continuing to 2027 (Voice Vote)

  3. 2026-03-01 Studies Subcommittee

    Assigned HRUL sub: Studies Subcommittee

  4. 2026-02-24 House

    Placed on Calendar

  5. 2026-02-24 House

    Read first time

  6. 2026-02-24 Rules

    Referred to Committee on Rules

  7. 2026-02-17 Senate

    Read third time and passed Senate (24-Y 16-N 0-A)

  8. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Read second time

  9. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate as amended (Voice Vote)

  10. 2026-02-16 General Laws and Technology

    General Laws and Technology Amendment agreed to

  11. 2026-02-16 Senate

    Engrossed by Senate (Voice Vote)

  12. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Rules suspended

  13. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Passed by for the day

  14. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (36-Y 0-N 0-A)

  15. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  16. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Constitutional reading dispensed Block Vote (on 1st reading) (35-Y 0-N 0-A)

  17. 2026-02-13 Senate

    Passed by for the day Block Vote (Voice Vote)

  18. 2026-02-11 General Laws and Technology

    Reported from General Laws and Technology with amendment (11-Y 4-N)

  19. 2026-02-11 Senate

    Senate committee offered

  20. 2026-01-13 Senate

    Prefiled and ordered printed; Offered 01-14-2026 26101613D

  21. 2026-01-13 General Laws and Technology

    Referred to Committee on General Laws and Technology

Official Summary Text

Time zone; permanent Eastern Standard Time in the Commonwealth.
Provides that the Commonwealth shall observe Eastern Standard Time year-round upon the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland enacting legislation providing that United States Eastern Standard Time shall be observed in all parts of the respective district or state year-round.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL to amend and reenact §
1-253
of the Code of Virginia, relating to time zone; permanent Eastern Standard Time in the Commonwealth.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. That §
1-253
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:
§
1-253
. Time zone.
The United States Eastern Standard Time shall be in effect in all parts of the Commonwealth
except during the period when the United States Eastern Daylight Time
at all times,
as provided by federal law. This section shall not be construed to be in contravention of federal law, or duly authorized orders of the
United States
U.S.
Secretary of Transportation with respect to the time zones of the United States and the application of standard time to interstate commerce and other matters within such zones.
In all laws, statutes, orders, decrees, rules
,
and regulations relating to the time of performance of any act by any officer or agency of the Commonwealth, or any political subdivision thereof, or relating to the time in which any rights shall accrue or determine, or within which any act shall or shall not be performed by any person subject to the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth, and in all public schools, institutions of the Commonwealth or its political subdivisions, and contracts or choses in action made or to be performed in the Commonwealth, it shall be understood and intended that the time applicable thereto or referred to or implied therein shall be the United States Eastern Standard Time
, or the United States Eastern Daylight Time, when and during such is in effect
.
For purposes of this section, "United States Eastern Standard Time" means the standard time, as described in 15 U.S.C. § 261.
2. That the provisions of this act shall become effective upon the
[

enactment of an amendment to 15 U.S.C. § 260, or another applicable law, that authorizes states to observe United States Eastern Standard Time
District of Columbia and the State of Maryland enacting legislation providing that United States Eastern Standard Time shall be observed in all parts of the respective district or state
]
year-round.