The clock ran out on a bill aimed at moving Georgia to a new time zone, ending supporters’ hopes of abolishing the chore of changing the clocks twice per year.
House Bill 154 would have sought permission from the Trump administration to let Georgia leave the Eastern time zone, putting the state permanently on Atlantic Standard Time. The effect would have been to keep Georgia on daylight saving time year-round.
The bill passed the state Senate last month with a 45-5 vote. But the House of Representatives never called the bill for a vote before adjourning for the year on Thursday.
In 2021, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law that would make daylight saving time permanent in Georgia if Congress approved. But they haven’t done so.
Federal law prohibits states from permanently moving to daylight saving time. But it does allow them to switch time zones. Doing so does not require a vote by Congress, but the approval of the U.S. transportation secretary — making it an easier path.
Pastor Wes Cantrell, a former Georgia state representative, co-sponsored a bill in 2020 that would have enabled Georgia to adopt daylight saving time year-round. In an opinion essay this week for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he argued a change to a consistent clock would have a material impact on the lives of Georgians.
“It’s about aligning our policies with common sense. It’s about improving quality of life. It’s about showing that when something no longer works, we have the courage to fix it,” he wrote.
The shift may have brought consistency to the lives of Georgia residents, but it would also make Georgia the odd man out along the East Coast. The switch would have placed the Peach State in the same time zone as Nova Scotia.
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