Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming announced that residents can now pay for state services using Bitcoin, Bitcoin Lightning Network, and USDC, Cointelegraph reported. The first cryptocurrency payment has been completed via the Bitcoin Lightning Network to pay a fine from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Fleming said the move, a result of the state government's collaboration with Bead Pay and local integration partners, would reduce the number of fraudulent transactions. Government systems must evolve and embrace new technologies in the digital age.

Fleming stressed that the funds received by the government will be converted into U.S. dollars to protect the state from concerns about accepting cryptocurrencies. Republican State Representative Mark Wright said it is exciting for Louisiana to further expand payment options.

In May 2022, Wright formed a digital asset working group that found cryptocurrencies to be an acceptable form of payment. In 2021, Wright led a resolution honoring anonymous Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto for his contributions to economic security.

In June this year, Louisiana amended its legislation to ban central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) and set rules for crypto miners and node operators, but did not prohibit other digital currency payments.