Ga. House committee OKS permanent switch to daylight saving time

ATLANTA — Georgia would observe daylight saving time all year long subject to congressional approval under legislation that cleared a committee in the state House of Representatives Thursday.

Switching every six months between daylight and standard time disrupts sleep patterns and has been shown to increase the number of heart attacks, car crashes and workplace injuries, Rep. Wes Cantrell, R-woodstock, the bill’s sponsor told members of the State Planning & Community Affairs Committee.

“Our bodies are built to adjust slowly to the amount of daylight,” he said. “The vast majority of people want time change to stop.”

Cantrell introduced three bills on the topic last year. Two of the measures called for Georgia to observe daylight time all year or standard time all year.

The third called for a statewide nonbinding referendum to gauge the sentiments of Georgians toward the issue.

None of the bills got far last year because the coronavirus pandemic intervened, forcing a three-month break in the 2020 General Assembly session.

Sen. Ben Watson, R-savannah, prefiled two bills before this year’s session calling either for a nonbinding referendum or putting Georgia on standard time permanently.

A wrinkle in the possibility of switching to daylight time all year is that — unlike switching to standard time permanently — it would require congressional approval.

Cantrell said U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-fla., is sponsoring legislation that would put the entire nation on daylight time permanently.