Texas House Advances Bitcoin Reserve Bill With Bipartisan Backing

In brief

The Texas House passed Senate Bill 21 on second reading with a 105-23 vote, advancing it to third reading.
An amendment adopted Tuesday requires eligible cryptocurrencies to maintain a $500 billion market cap over 24 months.
If enacted, Texas could become the second U.S. state to establish a government-managed Bitcoin reserve, after New Hampshire.

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The Texas House of Representatives voted Tuesday to approve Senate Bill 21, its state Bitcoin reserve bill, pushing it past a critical legislative hurdle.

The House began by adopting an amendment from Representative Linda Garcia (D-TX) that doubled the required market capitalization period from 12 to 24 months.

Buoyed by strong bipartisan support, the House passed the Senate Bill 21 with a 105-23 vote, advancing it to a third reading.

The bill is a "forward-thinking measure" that would help recognize digital assets "not as a trend but as a strategic opportunity" key to "strengthening the state's fiscal resilience," Giovanni Capriglione (R-TX), its House sponsor, said before the final vote.

Officially dubbed the Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Investment Act, the bill establishes a framework for the state comptroller to maintain and manage crypto holdings as a "special fund outside the state treasury."

Initial discussions and proposals for it were first floated in December last year under H.B. 1598.

Under the proposed legislation, the reserve can hold Bitcoin and potentially other cryptos as "a hedge against inflation and economic volatility," according to the bill text's House committee version.

The comptroller also needs to submit a report every two years to the legislature on crypto holdings, their value, and any changes during that time. An advisory committee, including crypto investment experts, will guide the comptroller on reserve management.

Progress on Texas's Bitcoin reserve bill comes roughly two years since the Lone Star state established itself as a major crypto mining hub, consistently ranking as a top choice for crypto mining firms across the U.S.

Still, the bill requires passage on third reading in the House.

Since it was amended, any differences between the House and Senate versions would need to be reconciled before final approval by both chambers.

Only then would it head to the governor's desk, potentially establishing America's second state-managed Bitcoin reserve after New Hampshire earlier this month.

The state of Arizona would have followed, but its governor nixed its Bitcoin bill, with only a companion bill for unclaimed crypto being passed two days later.

Edited by Sebastian Sinclair