Why U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams opposes permanent daylight saving time

U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams did more than cast a vote when she decided against making daylight saving time permanent — she made a statement. She was the only Georgia lawmaker to oppose the Sunshine Protection Act that passed the House in July.

“I’m never afraid to stand alone if it means standing up for the people I serve,” Williams, D-Atlanta, said.

Changing the clocks twice a year is inconvenient. But there are major disagreements on which time to stick with and which to ditch.

The Sunshine Protection Act is one solution that would eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes. It would make daylight saving time permanent, keeping clocks one hour ahead of standard time year-round. The House passed the bill by a vote of 308 to 117 last month. Now it awaits consideration in the Senate, where it faces fierce opposition.

Switching to daylight saving time means the sun would set an hour later, giving Georgians more bright hours after work or school to spend outside. But that also means that the sun would rise an hour later, and children’s commute to school would often be in the dark.

With school starting back Monday in many Georgia districts, Williams said opposes permanently switching to daylight saving because of the risk those darker mornings pose for school-age children, including her son. The U.S. attempted a switch to permanent daylight saving time once before in 1974, but the act was quickly repealed after several child fatalities.

“Even though little kids getting on the school bus in the morning can’t vote for me, they are still people that I’m here to represent,” Williams said.

Georgia has had its own history of trying to “ditch the switch.” Earlier this year, some Georgia lawmakers supported moving the state to another time zone just to avoid having to change clocks, but the bill never reached the House floor for a vote.

During the 1974 switch, a 16‑year‑old boy was hit by a vehicle and killed on his way to school in Chicago, and several other children died in predawn accidents in Virginia, Ohio, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and California. The worst of it happened in Florida. Eight children were killed in early morning traffic accidents in the first weeks of winter, compared with just two deaths during the same period the previous year.

“When you don’t understand the history of why something happened, you often repeat it,” Williams said.

Georgia advocates for the bill, including U.S. Reps. Rick Allen, R-Augusta, and Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee, argue that the extra hour of daylight in the evening will lower crime, save money, reduce traffic accidents and encourage outdoor activity.

More daylight in the evening would make commuting home safer and give more bright hours for afterschool activities.

Williams sponsors an opposing bill, the Sunshine for Kids Act, to keep clocks at standard time year round. This would also end the practice of changing clocks but would mean bright winter mornings and early summer evenings.

The American Medical Association and other health groups have endorsed permanent standard time because of the public health and safety benefits. Sleep experts say standard time aligns best with human circadian biology.