ATLANTA, Ga. (WJBF) -State lawmakers will vote one two similar bills that could push away with time changes in Georgia, which could mean no more spring forward or fall back for your clocks.
Both, senate bill 100 and house bill 44, have passed the house, and head to the senate floor on Wednesday, the last day of the legislative session.
Atlanta Bureau Chief, Archith Seshadri, reports from the State Capitol.
New bills, dubbed "Lock the clock" and "Ditch the switch" would keep Georgia under daylight saving time year long.
Wes Cantrell said, "People universally despise time change."
"Switching back and forth is not good for our health," said Ben Watson.
Advocates say the change would reduce sleep disruptions.
Cantrell said, "Heart attacks increase 24% the week after we spring forward."
Teri Anulewicz believes, "It would be a lot easier to not have grumpy babies, grumpy parents, grumpy workers, grumpy judges."
"Judges were grumpier for the weeks following Spring forward and gave harsher sentences after that," said Watson.
Other benefits, lawmakers say, include safer roads and reduced crime.
Wes Cantrell said, "Car accidents happen between 6-9 and an hour more of daylight mitigates that. People prefer to exercise in the daylight, they prefer to shop in the daylight. It helps dissipate quicker, crime mitigates that."
But critics say daylight saving time also brings its downfalls.
Teri Anulewicz said, "One of them is they don't want kids to wait in the dark for the school bus.
And the other is agriculture- we may not think about this in the metro part of the state. "You have to, if there is dew on the crops, so the dew can evaporate, and you lose that during daylight savings time."
Senate lawmakers will decide the fate of the bills on Wednesday. If the bill passes the Senate tomorrow, Georgia would join nearly a dozen states including South Carolina, Tennessee and Florida, and do away with standard time but the legislation will still need approval from congress.
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