ATLANTA — Georgia would stay on daylight saving time permanently, putting an end to twice-a-year time changes under a bill that passed the state House on Friday.
State representatives said falling back and springing forward disrupts sleep patterns, contributes to car crashes and increases the number of heart attacks.
The House voted 112-48 to approve the daylight saving time measure, House Bill 44.
“The vast majority of people hate time change,” said state Rep. Wes Cantrell, R-Woodstock. “Time change disrupts the natural order of things. Our bodies are designed to adjust slowly to the changing amount of of daylight as the Earth rotates.”
Some representatives who opposed the legislation said they would prefer permanent standard time so there would be more light in the mornings.
Even if the bill becomes law, it couldn’t take effect unless Congress acts. Federal law currently prohibits states from observing daylight saving time year-round.
A separate bill that passed the state Senate last month, Senate Bill 100, calls for Georgia to make standard time permanent.
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