When is daylight saving time 2023 in Kentucky? What to know before you spring forward

Kentucky winter is finally breaking, and the sun is rising earlier and earlier, which brings one thing immediately to mind: It's 2023, so why don't all my clocks auto-change?

Yes, the twice-annual re-setting of your clocks is fast approaching, but you have plenty of time to remember how to do it: Daylight saving time doesn't officially begin until 2 a.m. Sunday, March 12.

At that time, we will jump from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., source of the familiar saying "spring forward, fall back" about the annual start and end of daylight saving time.

Here are some things to know about daylight saving time.

Is daylight saving time still a thing?

Yup, it's still around. There is a bill that passed the U.S. Senate in 2022 called the "Sunshine Protection Act. The bill would make daylight saving time permanent across the U.S. The measure has not yet been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives, nor has it been signed into law by President Biden.

Daylight saving time: What is it?

According to timeanddate.com, "daylight saving time is the practice of setting the clocks one hour ahead of standard time to make use of more sunlight in the spring, summer, and fall evenings. Daylight Saving Time (DST) is used to save energy and make better use of daylight. It was first used in 1908 in Thunder Bay, Canada."

Daylight saving time became a national standard in 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Uniform Time Act, which was established as a way to continue to conserve energy. The thinking was, if it's light out longer, that's less time you'll need to use lights in your home.

In 2005, Congress amended daylight saving and extended the April to October period to the dates we know today — March to November.

When does daylight saving time start in 2023?

Daylight saving time for 2023 will be at 2 a.m. EST Sunday, March 12, for "spring forward" and 2 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 5, for "fall back."

Kentucky's brief history of (daylight saving) time

Kentucky first observed daylight saving time in 1918, when the Standard Time Act established daylight saving time to conserve electricity during World War I. After the war was over, daylight saving was no longer national law and became a local option.

Between 1918 and today, Kentucky observed daylight saving time for 75 years, according to timeanddate.com. For a while, cities across Kentucky were inconsistent, with some observing the time change and others not.

But starting in 1970, Time and Date AS has tracked observance of daylight saving time in Kentucky every year.

Over the years, researchers have tried to tie your body getting an hour less of sleep that night to a variety of issues, including an increase in car crashes and health problems such as heart attacks and strokes.

Joe Gerth: Daylight saving time is confusing cows and killing people; we must stop the madness

In 2019, Kentucky Republican Reps. Bart Rowland of Tompkinsville and Brandon Reed of Hodgenville pre-filed a bill to do away with resetting clocks every six months and instead use daylight saving time all year long. To do so, however, requires authorization by the federal government.

Under federal law, states are allowed not to observe daylight saving time, with Arizona and Hawaii being the lone states to do so. States are not allowed to stay on daylight time throughout the year.

Didn't Sunshine Protection Act end daylight saving time?

The Sunshine Protection Act would permanently extend daylight saving time from eight months of the year to the full 12 months. The bill was first introduced in January 2021 and reintroduced by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, and seven other bipartisan members of Congress in March 2022.

Click here to read the Sunshine Protection Act bill from congress.gov.

Is it daylight savings time, daylight saving's time, daylight saving time?

It's daylight saving time. No hyphen, no apostrophe and no extra S in the phrase. Also, no capitalization. However, for people searching the term online, these results come up: "Daylight Saving Time," "daylight savings" and "daylight savings time."

Why spring forward, fall back?

According to dictionary.com, daylight saving, commonly referred to as daylight savings, "is begun in the spring by setting clocks one hour ahead. They are then set one hour back in the fall. ... People often use the simple mnemonic spring forward, fall back to remember to set clocks forward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m.) in the spring and backward one hour (e.g., from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.) in the fall."

Who's controls daylight saving time?

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees the nation's time zones and the uniform observance of daylight saving time, according to transportation.gov. The oversight of time zones was assigned to the DOT to help keep track of transportation. The DOT manages daylight saving time and cites energy reduction and reduced crime as reasons for the time change.

Which states don't observe daylight saving time?

Arizona and Hawaii do not recognize DST. There's also no no need to change the clocks in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

Which states don't want to observe daylight saving time?

More than 30 states are considering legislation related to the practice of changing clocks twice a year, and seven states — Alabama, Arkansas, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington and Florida — have already approved the legislation. However, these states still need the OK from Congress to enact the change.

What are the pros of daylight saving time?

If permanent daylight saving time takes effect, the biggest pro by far would be no sleep disruption. No need to change your clock twice a year before, at or after 2 a.m. on a Sunday in the fall and spring.

Other perks would be more time during the day to be out and about, and experts say it's better for your health — no sleep disruption. No preparing-for-bed or waking-up habits to change.

Contributing: Ginny Beagan USA TODAY Network-Florida; Mike Snider & Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY; Emma Austin, Courier Journal.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Time change 2023 in Kentucky: What to know about daylight savings time