§ 502. Exemption from Daylight Savings Time
TITLE 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS § 502. Exemption from Daylight Savings Time. The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is hereby exempted from the provisions of 15 U.S.C. § 260a. The entire Commonwealth shall observe the standard time set forth in 1 CMC § 501. Source: See 15 U.S.C. § 260a. Commission Comment: This section provides a legal basis for current practice. MIDC § 1.20.020 authorized the former district administrator to provide for daylight savings time during dates specified in administrative directives. How- ever, the federal Uniform Time Act (15 U.S.C. §§ 260 et seq.) provides that it supersedes inconsistent state laws; see 15 U.S.C. § 260a(b). Under the Uniform Time Act, “state” includes “any possession of the United States” (15 U.S.C. § 267), and, because that term is applicable to Guam (see 1 GCA § 1010), the act applies within the Commonwealth, as well. See Covenant § 502(a)(2). Be- cause MIDC § 1.20.020 is inconsistent with 15 U.S.C. § 260a, it no longer has force and effect. See Covenant § 505. Under the Uniform Time Act, the Commonwealth had two options: (1) fol- low the provisions of 15 U.S.C. § 260a and apply daylight savings time during the period from the last Sunday of April through the last Sunday of October each year; or (2) pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 260a, legislatively exempt itself from the provisions regarding daylight savings time, provided that the entire Com- monwealth observes the same standard time. To reflect current practice and to promote uniformity and avoid confusion with Guam’s time system, 1 CMC § 502 implements the second option.
Source: CNMI Law Revision Commission