Texas Senate Passes Crypto Bill, Goes to the Governor to Be Signed into Law

Thursday, 27/05/2021 | 22:10 GMT by Felipe Erazo
  • There are currently 25 states in the US discussing legislation over cryptocurrencies.
Texas Senate Passes Crypto Bill, Goes to the Governor to Be Signed into Law
Dallas

Texas state lawmakers have passed a crypto bill that seeks to establish a legal framework for Bitcoin investments in the territory. The 'Virtual Currency Bill' or 'House Bill 4474' has passed the Texas Senate, and it will go to Governor Greg Abbott to receive the final signature to become a law.

With the bill, there is now legal clarity to define virtual currencies and provide a series of guidelines for Texas companies who want to be involved in the cryptocurrency business.

“Virtual currency means a digital representation of value that: (A) is used as a medium of exchange, unit of account, or store of value; and (B) is not legal tender, whether or not denominated in legal tender; and does not include: a transaction in which a merchant grants, as part of an affinity or rewards program, value that cannot be taken from or exchanged with the merchant for legal tender, bank credit, or virtual currency; or (B) a digital representation of value issued by or on behalf of a publisher and used solely within an online game, game platform, or family of games sold by the same publisher or offered on the same game platform,” the bill said about the definition of virtual currencies.

The Other States Discussing Crypto Legislations

On April 14, 2021, the Virtual Currency Bill was discussed at a public hearing by the Texas House of Representatives Pensions, Investments & Financial Services Committee, with further talks on revised versions of the bills on April 16, unanimously receiving bipartisan support.

As of press time, 25 states in the US are looking into legislation over cryptocurrencies. The states include Alabama, which indefinitely postponed the talks on a crypto bill, and Massachusetts, which has a House Bill 126 that seeks to establish special commissions and members of the General Court on Blockchain and cryptocurrency.

Texas state lawmakers have passed a crypto bill that seeks to establish a legal framework for Bitcoin investments in the territory. The 'Virtual Currency Bill' or 'House Bill 4474' has passed the Texas Senate, and it will go to Governor Greg Abbott to receive the final signature to become a law.

With the bill, there is now legal clarity to define virtual currencies and provide a series of guidelines for Texas companies who want to be involved in the cryptocurrency business.

“Virtual currency means a digital representation of value that: (A) is used as a medium of exchange, unit of account, or store of value; and (B) is not legal tender, whether or not denominated in legal tender; and does not include: a transaction in which a merchant grants, as part of an affinity or rewards program, value that cannot be taken from or exchanged with the merchant for legal tender, bank credit, or virtual currency; or (B) a digital representation of value issued by or on behalf of a publisher and used solely within an online game, game platform, or family of games sold by the same publisher or offered on the same game platform,” the bill said about the definition of virtual currencies.

The Other States Discussing Crypto Legislations

On April 14, 2021, the Virtual Currency Bill was discussed at a public hearing by the Texas House of Representatives Pensions, Investments & Financial Services Committee, with further talks on revised versions of the bills on April 16, unanimously receiving bipartisan support.

As of press time, 25 states in the US are looking into legislation over cryptocurrencies. The states include Alabama, which indefinitely postponed the talks on a crypto bill, and Massachusetts, which has a House Bill 126 that seeks to establish special commissions and members of the General Court on Blockchain and cryptocurrency.

About the Author: Felipe Erazo
Felipe Erazo
  • 1036 Articles
  • 46 Followers
About the Author: Felipe Erazo
Felipe earned a degree in journalism at the University of Chile with the highest honour in the overall ranking, and he also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Communication. In addition, he has been working as a freelance writer and Forex/crypto analyst, with experience gained from several forex broker firms and crypto-related media outlets around the world. He has been involved in the world of online forex trading since 2010 and in the crypto sphere since 2015.
  • 1036 Articles
  • 46 Followers

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