ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgians gained an hour of sleep early Sunday as clocks rolled back from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m., even though the state has had a year-round daylight saving time law on its books for five years.
The reason sits in the fine print. Senate Bill 100, signed by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2021 and placed in state code at O.C.G.A. 50-1-10, declares that Georgia and every one of its local governments will observe daylight saving time all year as standard time.
The law was enacted in the 2021 session of the General Assembly, and the state code notes that the federal condition it depends on still has not been met. A second section of the same law keeps it switched off. It takes effect only if Congress changes 15 U.S.C. 260a, the federal statute that governs time zones and daylight saving, to let states stay on summer time permanently.
That federal change has come close but has not crossed the finish line. In July the U.S. House passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would give states that option and effectively stop the twice-a-year clock change. The measure has stalled in the Senate, so it has not reached the president.
Time is short. Noon on Jan. 3, 2027, marks the close of the 119th Congress, and a bill that has not been passed and signed by then dies, and supporters would have to start over in the new Congress.
Until something changes in Washington, Georgia stays on the same schedule as most of the country: standard time through the winter, with clocks springing forward again in March.
For drivers and commuters, the practical change is earlier darkness. Sunset now arrives about an hour sooner on the clock, so more evening drives home will happen in the dark.
Section: More Atlanta GA politics news
Filed under: Atlanta GA Politics News
