Georgia Senate passes bill that could permanently put an end to changing clocks for daylight saving
Springing forward and falling back may be a thing of the past for Georgia if an unusual attempt to keep the state in daylight saving time all year round.
House Bill 154, titled the Georgia Sunshine Protection Act, passed the Senate with a vote of 45 to 5 on Monday.
Georgia lawmakers have already approved permanent switch to daylight saving time in 2021, however, that switch would only happen if the U.S. Congress authorizes it. That remains unlikely.
Instead, the new bill would move the Peach State from Eastern Standard Time to Atlantic Standard Time, or one hour earlier. The change would require Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to approve it.
In the bills, lawmakers argue that the twice-yearly time change "disrupts sleep, commerce, transportation scheduling, and school schedules," and that the state's citizens would benefit for more evening daylight "for commerce, recreation, and family activities."
If the change happens, it could lead to some confusing time problems with nearby states. For instance, a Georgia that permanently observes daylight saving time would be two hours earlier than neighboring Alabama and Tennessee, which would still observe Central Standard Time.
The House bill was introduced last year, but failed to get through the Senate. This year's push saw a more favorable outcome to supporters, though the lawmakers did add some changes.
The amended bill now goes to the House for another vote on the Senate's changes. During the 2025 vote, it passed the House overwhelmingly with 172 yeas.