Ohio State Legislature Introduces Bill to Allow Gov’t to Implement Blockchain Solutions

A new bill introduced on April 24 in the American state of Ohio’s House of Representatives would, if passed, allow the state government and other government entities to implement blockchain solutions in the exercise of their authority.

According to the official website of the Ohio state legislature, the bill, titled House Bill 220, has been sponsored by the Republican Party’s State Representative Rick Carfagna, who represents Ohio’s 68th District in the House.

As Northeast Ohio media agency Cleveland.com reported on April 25, the bill would prospectively legalize government blockchain applications such as recording car titles or hunting licenses online, where they could be accessible by authorized agencies on a secure distributed ledger.

Earlier this week, Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted and Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish had reportedly participated in an event devoted to the cooperation between civic-minded start-ups and government, which included a panel covering the use of blockchain for government purposes.

As previously reported, the state of Ohio has made a bid to position itself at the fore of blockchain and cryptocurrency adoption, becoming the reported first state to accept bitcoin (BTC) for tax payments in November 2018.

This February, Ohio’s state treasurer confirmed that two Ohio businesses had used the crypto tax solution, underscoring that the state itself receives the fiat equivalent from the original crypto payments.

The same month, the County Auditors’ Association of Ohio announced the formation of a working group to study the use of blockchain for the effective transfer of property deeds.

In December 2018, a total of seven Ohio funds pledged to invest over $300 million into blockchain startups through 2021.

Earlier that year, Ohio House of Representatives Speaker Ryan Smith had convened a group of lawmakers, industry and academic figures to discuss positioning the state as a pro-innovation hub for blockchain.

Alongside Ohio, Cleveland.com notes that around ten other states have introduced or passed blockchain and crypto-related legislation, most prolifically Wyoming, as Cointelegraph has reported.