The Georgia House of Representatives passed the daylight savings bill 112 to 48 last. The week before, the state Senate voted to keep the state on standard time.
Despite the legislative disagreement, Georgia joins a growing list of states that want to put an end to the bi-annual time changes.
To do so, however, the U.S. Congress would have to rule against federal law to allow individual states to run on different times from the rest of the country.
Rep. Wes Cantrell, R-Cherokee County, is one of the bill’s sponsors, and he cites the rise of crime and car accidents in the darkness as reasons to keep the daylight around longer.
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“The more states pass this type of legislation, the more likely it is that Congress will give states the authorization to go to daylight savings time permanently,” Cantrell said in an email. “Most states in the southeast have already passed this type of legislation, so Georgia will be in sync with the states around us. I am going to personally lobby Congress to get this done.”
Craig Albert, who teaches political science at Augusta University, offered some insight on the issue. “As far as the federal issue, technically a state law can exist even if it conflicts with the federal law; the U.S. would have to take the state to court in order to prevent the state law from happening,” Albert said. “And often, the U.S. does not do that if it is a minor issue. Depending on who you ask, this could be viewed as minor.”
Pamela Kirkland with the Columbus Health Department says if enacted, the change could impact many people’s health.
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“We know that lack of sunlight and daylight leads to depression. They sell lamps to give people that energy they don’t get naturally. To end daylight savings time would lead to more health concerns,” Kirkland said.
On Wednesday, March 10, U.S. senators including Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Ed Markey, D-Mass., and James Lankford, R-Okla., reintroduced the Sunshine Protection Act, which would ensure daylight savings time remains year-round.
Fourteen other states besides Florida and Georgia have passed similar laws, resolutions, or voter initiatives (Arkansas, Alabama, California, Delaware, Idaho, Louisiana, Maine, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) and other states are poking around similar stances.
Tyler Strong is the Business Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach him at tyler@theaugustapress.com
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