It’s Crossover Day at the Georgia Capitol, and lawmakers are racing to pass bills before the legislative deadline. Several proposals focus on regulating artificial intelligence and social media. One measure, Senate Bill 398, would make “virtual peeping” — using AI to create or view explicit images without consent — a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Other bills moving this week aim to strengthen online protections for children and hold people accountable for distributing explicit images.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has reassigned Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem as special envoy for the new “Shield of the Americas” security initiative and nominated Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to lead the department beginning March 31.

At the Capitol, Georgia Democrats are proposing a major change to the state’s tax system. House Resolution 1504 would replace Georgia’s flat income tax with a progressive system that taxes higher earners at higher rates, though the proposal faces long odds in the Republican-led legislature.

Lawmakers have also unanimously passed Senate Bill 406 to curb abuses by homeowners associations, raising the foreclosure threshold for unpaid dues and placing HOAs under oversight from the Secretary of State’s office.

And Wellroot Family Services is expanding behavioral health care programs across Georgia, adding housing and support services for foster youth transitioning into adulthood.

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