Daylight saving switcheroo puts Georgia’s clocks one step closer to Canada

So this is not a criticism of the concept of leaving that all behind by putting the state permanently on daylight saving time. Nor is this a personal critique of state Sen. Bo Hatchett, R-Cornelia, who himself has young children and probably needs that hour of sleep more than they do.

But it is a criticism of the mayhem accompanying the final days of the legislative session that lets good bills die and bad ideas sneak in all while the fine print of measures often go unnoticed by the public.

In the case of House Bill 154, the fine print says Georgia would not only go permanently to daylight saving time but that we would also become the only state in the country operating one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time for about four months every year.

That means Georgia would be on the same schedule as Nova Scotia, not New York, but only for about four months. We’d also be two hours ahead of Alabama during the winter, a challenge for the Columbus residents who live minutes from the state line and often go to Phenix City for appointments and errands.

Is that less confusing than “springing forward” and “falling back?” I’m not so sure.

Unfortunately, the only thing more confusing than the effect of HB 154 is the process the bill’s Senate sponsors used to get it here.

If you look at the caption of the bill itself, you’ll notice that HB 154 is described as a bill to “designate ambulance services as an essential service.” That was its original purpose when it passed the House unanimously last year.

The legislation from state Reps. Gary Richardson, R-Evans, and Ruwa Romman, D-Duluth, was originally meant to update Georgia law to give ambulances the same classification as other essential public services like law enforcement and firefighting. Who would be against a bill making it easier for local governments to fund ambulances? It turns out, nobody.

Fast forward to 2026. With time winding down toward the end of the two-year session, the ambulance bill became a perfect candidate for “stripping.” That’s the legislative procedure that lets one member strip the language out of a bill that has already passed one chamber and replace it with something new to fast-track its passage. In this case, the bill was renamed the “Georgia Sunshine Protection Act.”

The unusual twist on this all-too-common switcheroo is that Hatchett is also working to ensure that the ambulance bill is passed before the end of the session, maybe even before the daylight saving time bill. And, refreshingly, he informed the House sponsors what he was doing before he did it.

But deadlines being what they are, stripping a House-passed bill was the only way to get his bill done, too.

In another unusual twist, even Romman, a Democrat, isn’t mad at Hatchett. Although she hated to see the bill she’s been pushing for years dismembered at the last minute, she knows this, incredibly, is how the sausage gets made.

“Both EMS and the time changing continue to be big topics of conversation,” she said. “I hope we can get both done and I’m grateful to Senator Hatchett for his partnership on EMS issues over the past few years.”

Which brings us back to the bill that would have Georgia join Grenada, Guadalupe, and parts of Greenland on Atlantic Standard Time if the U.S. transportation secretary gives it the thumbs-up.

In the limited Senate debate that happened, state Sen. Ed Setzler, R-Acworth, said he worries about the potential chaos of scheduling flights, meetings and travel from Georgia to states like South Carolina and Florida for the months when they’re not on the same time. Even Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport would be permanently sprung forward.

“I applaud the senator’s intentions to try to create some consistency, but I think unfortunately as it’s crafted, it would create more inconsistency and more confusion,” Setzler said.

But Hatchett told me he has spoken with lawmakers in Georgia’s neighboring states and believes that if Georgia goes first, others will follow.

“I think most people don’t care about what time zone they’re in, they care about having their lives disrupted twice a year,” he said. “Georgians are tired of changing their clocks.”

With an overwhelming Senate vote of 45 to 5, and a Republican-led House with at least one Democrat open to the idea, it’s possible that the time to stop changing the time has come.