GERALD GREENE: Work picks up in House as ‘Crossover Day’ nears

During week seven of the legislative session, my colleagues and I met in the House Chamber for three days and continued to do the people’s business by voting on key legislation that aims to better the lives of Georgians. It was a short but packed week as we continued to prepare for the “Crossover Day” deadline on Thursday, which is the last day that legislation can be passed out of its chamber of origin and remain eligible to be signed into law this year.

With that in mind, we continued to make significant progress during week seven by voting on legislation to enhance public safety, behavioral health care and education in Georgia.

We voted legislation to protect some of Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens. On Thursday, the House unanimously passed House Bill 993, which would introduce criminal penalties for individuals who knowingly and intentionally groom minors and use electronic means to persuade, induce, entice or coerce them into committing sexual offenses or acts of human trafficking. Perpetrators of this crime would face felony imprisonment ranging from one to five years, and those who commit these heinous acts could be charged regardless of whether crimes are committed within or outside of our state if it involves a minor who lives in Georgia.

By addressing the growing threat of online exploitation, HB 993 would reinforce our commitment to safeguarding the well-being of our minors and upholds the state’s dedication to justice, dignity and the protection of human rights for all Georgians.

To help confront the opioid crisis in Georgia, the House passed House Bill 1170 on Thursday, which would require government buildings and courthouses that contain Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to provide opioid antagonists to assist in the event of an opioid overdose on those premises. This bipartisan legislation would apply to courthouses and government buildings that already contain AED boxes, and the opioid antagonists would be added to these boxes.

These buildings would be required to maintain at least three-unit doses of opioid antagonists and ensure that these antagonists would be available during the regular business hours of these buildings. Further, every government entity that operates out of a government building also would be required to establish and implement an internal training policy for opioid antagonist administration based on the model training and implementation policy developed by DPH. This little-to-no-cost initiative would make antagonists, like Naloxone, readily available in the case of an overdose.

The House also passed House Bill 986 to address election interference using artificial intelligence, specifically “deep fake” technology that is intended to deceive voters and influence the outcome of an election. Known as the “AI Transparency Protection Act,” HB 986 would introduce felony offenses for both the creation and solicitation of deep fake content through artificial intelligence-generated campaign advertisements aimed at interfering with elections. The term deep fake refers to a video recording, video file, sound recording, sound file, electronic image or photograph that is created through technological means, rather than through the ability of another person to physically or verbally impersonate such person, and appears to depict a real person’s speech or conduct that did not occur in reality.

HB 986 would establish a precedent for accountability and security in Georgia’s digital landscape. This proactive measure is crucial in upholding trust and preserving the integrity of democratic processes, while also ensuring that artificial intelligence contributes positively to the well-being of families, businesses and communities in the state.

The Georgia House of Representatives resumed its work on Monday with only two legislative days remaining until we reach Crossover Day. With this deadline rapidly approaching, it is important that I hear from you about issues that are significant to you and your family. I hope you will reach out to me with your thoughts or concerns regarding legislation that is still up for consideration. You can reach my Capitol office at (404) 656-9210 and via email at [email protected].

As always, thank you for allowing me to serve as your representative

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