---
title: HB 154. Emergency medical services; designate ambulance services as an essential service
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb154
cite_as: HB 154, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb154
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb154.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb154/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69591
date: 2026-03-23
status: engrossed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md
previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb153.md
next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb155.md
index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md
omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1205
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb154.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 154
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-03-04
last_action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute
sponsors:
- Gary Richardson
- Ruwa Romman
- Rob Clifton
- Danny Mathis
- Victor Anderson
- Stan Gunter
- Bo Hatchett
text_version: Comm Sub
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB154/2025
upstream_id: 1945171
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- daylight saving time
- time zone change
- Georgia state government
- Georgia Sunshine Protection Act
---
# HB 154. Emergency medical services; designate ambulance services as an essential service
## Text
The Senate Committee on Health and Human Services offered the following
substitute to HB 154:
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to state government, so as to require the Governor to request that
the United States Secretary of Transportation place this state in the Atlantic standard time
zone; to provide for observance in this state of such standard time year round subject to
approval of the Governor's request and until such time as the United States Congress
authorizes the states to observe daylight saving time year round; to provide for a short title;
to provide for legislative findings; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Georgia Sunshine Protection Act."
SECTION 2.
Chapter 1 of Title 50 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general
provisions relative to state government, is amended by repealing Code Section 50-1-10,
relating to daylight savings time year round and contingent implementation, and enacting a
new Code Section 50-1-10 to read as follows:
"50-1-10.
(a) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) The citizens of Georgia would benefit from increased evening daylight for
commerce, recreation, and family activities;
(2) The twice-yearly change between standard time and daylight saving time disrupts
sleep, commerce, transportation scheduling, and school schedules;
(3) Congress has considered but has not enacted legislation authorizing states to observe
daylight saving time year round; and
(4) The State of Georgia should pursue lawful means to secure permanent daylight
saving time while maintaining alignment with national economic and transportation
systems.
(b) As used in this Code section, the term 'state' includes all political subdivisions thereof.
(c)(1) Not later than December 31, 2026, the Governor shall request that the United
States Secretary of Transportation place this state in the Atlantic standard time zone.
(2) Subject to the approval of such request by the United States Secretary of
Transportation and subsection (d) of this Code section, this state shall observe Atlantic
standard time year round as the standard time of the entire state and shall be exempt from
the advancement of clocks by one hour during designated periods, commonly known as
daylight saving time, as provided for in 15 U.S.C. Section 260a.
(d)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2) of this subsection, if at any time the United
States Congress amends 15 U.S.C. Section 260a to authorize states to observe daylight
saving time year round, this state shall observe daylight saving time year round in the
eastern standard time zone as the standard time of this state.
(2) If this state is placed in the Atlantic standard time zone pursuant to subsection (c) of
this Code section prior to an authorization of the United States Congress as described in
paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Governor shall request that the United States
Secretary of Transportation place this state in the eastern standard time zone, and
paragraph (1) of this subsection shall become effective only upon approval of such
request."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Senate committee substitute for HB 154 would require Georgia's Governor to ask the federal government to move Georgia into the Atlantic time zone so the state can observe standard time year round instead of switching clocks twice a year.
### Plain-language summary
Although this bill is titled as dealing with ambulance services, the actual substitute text replaces that subject entirely with a proposal about Georgia's time zone. It repeals the current Georgia law on daylight saving time (O.C.G.A. § 50-1-10) and enacts a new version called the 'Georgia Sunshine Protection Act.'
The new law would require the Governor, by December 31, 2026, to formally ask the United States Secretary of Transportation to place Georgia in the Atlantic standard time zone. If the federal government approves that request, Georgia would observe Atlantic standard time year round and would stop changing clocks for daylight saving time. If Congress later passes a law allowing states to keep daylight saving time year round, Georgia would then switch to observing daylight saving time permanently in the eastern time zone, and the Governor would have to ask the federal government to move Georgia back to the eastern time zone first if it had already shifted to Atlantic time.
### What it does
- Repeals the current Georgia Code section on daylight saving time (O.C.G.A. § 50-1-10) and replaces it with a new version.
- Requires the Governor to formally request that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation place Georgia in the Atlantic standard time zone by December 31, 2026.
- Provides that if the federal government approves the request, Georgia would observe Atlantic standard time year round and stop the twice-yearly clock changes.
- Sets up a fallback plan requiring Georgia to switch to permanent daylight saving time in the eastern time zone if Congress later authorizes states to do so.
- Names the law the 'Georgia Sunshine Protection Act' and states legislative findings about the effects of switching clocks twice a year.
### Who it affects
All Georgia residents and businesses would be affected by a change to the state's official time zone and the end of twice-yearly clock changes. The Governor's office and the U.S. Department of Transportation are directly involved, since the change depends on federal approval of the Governor's request.
### Why it matters
If approved by federal authorities, Georgians would stop resetting clocks twice a year and would gain more evening daylight during winter months, since Atlantic standard time is one hour ahead of eastern time. The change depends entirely on federal approval and could shift how Georgia's clock aligns with neighboring states.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 names the law the 'Georgia Sunshine Protection Act.'
- Section 2 repeals the existing Code Section 50-1-10 and enacts a new version with legislative findings about the effects of daylight saving time changes.
- New subsection (c) requires the Governor to request that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation place Georgia in the Atlantic standard time zone by December 31, 2026.
- New subsection (c) states Georgia would observe Atlantic standard time year round only if the federal request is approved.
- New subsection (d) creates a fallback: if Congress authorizes year-round daylight saving time, Georgia would switch to observing it in the eastern time zone, requiring another Governor's request if Georgia had already moved to Atlantic time.
- Section 3 repeals all conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Engrossed (2025-03-04)
- Last action: Senate Passed/Adopted By Substitute (2026-03-23)
- Sponsors: Gary Richardson, Ruwa Romman, Rob Clifton, Danny Mathis, Victor Anderson, Stan Gunter, Bo Hatchett
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69591
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,205 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb154.md?full=1