ATLANTA — It's almost that time to spring forward once again. Daylight saving time will make yet another appearance this year, which means losing another hour of sleep this weekend.
But wait, wasn't daylight saving time disbanded in Georgia? Didn't we vote on that years ago?
THE QUESTION
Is Georgia no longer observing daylight saving time?
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER
False. While Georgia passed a law to stay in daylight saving time permanently, eliminating the need to change the clocks, the time shifting is still observed.
WHAT WE FOUND
Gov. Brian Kemp passed a law to stay in daylight saving time permanently. So you might be asking, why am I still changing my clocks yet again?
Georgia is just one of almost all 50 states that attempted to keep the time practice permanent. But, the only way for daylight saving time to be kept permanent is left in the hands of Congress.
We're not alone in trying to do away with these yearly time-change rituals, as a number of states want to adopt permanent daylight saving time, but it can't happen until Congress amends the Uniform Time Act.
The Uniform Time Act was adopted in 1966, basically to stop states from doing their own daylight-saving time schedules.
The trick with the Uniform Time Act is states don't have to observe daylight saving time - and two states, Arizona and Hawaii, don't, instead staying on the permanent "fall back" timeline.
But you can't go in the opposite direction - staying permanently on daylight saving time an hour ahead - without Congress' blessing.
And until Congress changes the law, Georgia's law to stay on daylight saving time will basically be nothing more than a symbolic protest against losing an hour of sleep once every March.