Bill Stopping Clock Changes Passes State Senate
Summary
The Georgia State Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would stop Georgians from changing their clocks twice a year. Senate Bill 100 would move Georgia to standard time year-round. Georgia would then switch to daylight saving time, if and when Congress allows […]
The Georgia State Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would stop Georgians from changing their clocks twice a year.
Senate Bill 100 would move Georgia to standard time year-round. Georgia would then switch to daylight saving time, if and when Congress allows states to do that.
Republican State Senator Ben Watson, the bill’s author, laid out public health and public safety reasons for the change.
Watson, a doctor in Savannah, talked about medical evidence of increased heart attacks in the spring. He also spoke of Georgians’ disrupted sleep patterns for two weeks after each clock change.
He also cited evidence of increased numbers of car crashes after the semiannual time changes.
During Senate floor debate, State Sen. Kim Jackson suggested that Georgia wait until Congress allows daylight saving time year-round.
The bill passed 46-7 with bipartisan support and opposition. Lake Area State Senators Burt Jones and David Lucas voted for it. It now heads to the Georgia House.
This year, clocks “spring forward” March 14 and “fall back” November 7.
Why do we have to wait until Congress allows it?
Congress has not allowed states to do Daylight Saving Time year round.
This article makes no sense. So they passed a bill to STOP clock changes. But it says we still change the clock when congress allows it. What does that mean??? If we truly stop changing the clock, Daylight Savings Time would be a better option because in winter standard time causes people to come home in the dark after work. DST would give an extra hour of daylight in the evening. I would rather go to work in the dark and come home in the daylight.
The bill would let Georgia observe Standard Time year round UNTIL Congress allows states to do Daylight Saving Time year round. Then Georgia would switch to Daylight Saving Time year round. Right now, the law does not allow states to do Daylight Saving Time year round.