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Bill to Give Blockchain Records Legal Clout Reintroduced in US House

Rep. Soto and Rep. Schweikert call for recognizing blockchain signatures as legal instruments in their new bill.

By Danny Nelson
AccessTimeIconOct 7, 2020 at 4:05 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 14, 2021 at 10:05 a.m. UTC
Rep. David Schweikert
Rep. David Schweikert
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Leaders of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus have reintroduced a bill that would give legal status to blockchain-secured records and smart contracts.

  • Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) submitted the Blockchain Records and Transaction Act of 2020 on the House floor Wednesday, a measure similar to one introduced in 2018 but which never came up for a vote.
  • The current bill would prohibit individuals from denying an electronic record legal effect "solely because it is created, stored or secured on or through a blockchain."
  • Further, the bill would enshrine blockchain and smart contracts in the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act of 2000, the cornerstone federal law protecting electronics signatures more broadly.
  • The authors said in a statement this would legitimize blockchain records as a legal instrument in interstate and foreign commerce.
  • Several states have already implemented similar provisions, most recently Illinois.

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