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U.S. Virginia bill seeks working group to study crypto, blockchain
By COINTELEGRAPH
2024-02-07 14:41
Virginia lawmakers propose convening a work group to research blockchain technology, digital asset mining, and cryptocurrency. The proposition was introduced in the form of a Senate bill on Feb. 5.
Senate Bill No. 339 (SB339), proposed by the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor, will authorize the Bureau of the Financial Institutions of the State Corporation Commission to create a work group “for the purpose of studying and making recommendations” on all things crypto.
A snippet of the U.S. Virginia Senate Bill no. 339. Source: lis.virginia.gov
According to the bill, the group shall consist of 13 individuals: 5 Senators, 5 Delegates from the lower chamber of Virginia General Assembly, the House of Delegates; two experts on blockchain, appointed by the Bureau and one member of the local government. All the nonlegislative members of the work group must be residing in Virginia.
The group will meet throughout 2024 and conclude its work by Nov.1, presenting a summary report to the Governor and General Assembly “no later than the first day of 2025.”
Related: Florida crypto tax friendliest among all US states
The current draft of SB338 comes as an "amendment in the nature of a substitute" to the bill's initial version, introduced to the Senate by its younger member, Senator Saddam Azlan Salim, in January.
Salim’s initiative contained regulations for the mining and transactions of digital assets and their treatment under tax laws. It would have exempted digital mining operators from obtaining money transmitter licenses and digital assets issuers from securities registration requirements. The legislation would also incentivize using cryptocurrencies for everyday transactions by offering tax benefits. For example, individuals could exclude up to $200 per transaction from their net capital gains for tax purposes.
