April 10, 2025
Mr. Moreno (for himself, Ms. Blunt Rochester, and Mr. Sheehy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
To require the Secretary of Commerce support the leadership of the United States with respect to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Definitions
In this Act:
(1) Advisory committee
The term Advisory Committee means the National Blockchain Deployment Advisory Committee established pursuant to section 603(c).
(2) Blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology
The term blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology means a distributed digital database where data is—
(A)
shared across a network of computers to create a ledger of verified information among network participants;
(B)
linked using cryptography to maintain the integrity of the ledger and to execute other functions; and
(C)
distributed among network participants in an automated fashion to concurrently update network participants on the state of the ledger and other functions.
(3) Covered nongovernmental representative
The term covered nongovernmental representative means a representative as specified in the second sentence of section 135(b)(1) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2155(b)(1)), except that such term does not include a representative of a non-Federal government.
(4) Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Commerce.
(5) State
The term State means each of the several States, the District of Columbia, each commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe.
(6) Token
The term token means a transferable, digital representation of information recorded on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology.
(7) Tokenization
The term tokenization means the process of creating a token.
Sec. 3. Department of commerce leadership on blockchain
(a) Function of Secretary
The Secretary shall serve as a principal advisor to the President for policy pertaining to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization.
(b) Activities
The Secretary shall support the leadership of the United States with respect to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization by organizing the Advisory Committee—
(1)
to examine and to provide recommendations on issues and risks relating to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization, including the issues of decentralized identity, cybersecurity, key storage and security systems, artificial intelligence, fraud reduction, regulatory compliance, e-commerce, health care applications, and supply chain resiliency;
(2)
to support and to promote the improvement and security of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(3)
to help to promote the leadership of the United States with respect to the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(4)
to promote the national security of the United States with respect to blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(5)
to support engagement with the public to develop a compendium of proposals for practices as part of the work described in subsection (d);
(6)
to consider policies to encourage coordination among Federal agencies with respect to the deployment of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(7)
to examine—
(A)
how Federal agencies can benefit from utilizing blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(B)
the current use by Federal agencies of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(C)
the current and future preparedness and ability of Federal agencies to adopt blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization; and
(D)
additional security measures Federal agencies may need to take—
(i)
to securely use blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization, including to support the security of critical infrastructure; and
(ii)
to enhance the resiliency of Federal systems against cyber threats to blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization; and
(8)
to support coordination of the activities of the Federal Government relating to the security of blockchain technology and other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization.
(c) Establishment of national blockchain deployment advisory committee
(1) Establishment
(A) In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, in consultation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, establish an advisory committee to support the adoption of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization.
(B) Designation
The advisory committee established pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall be known as the National Blockchain Deployment Advisory Committee
.
(2) Membership composition
The Advisory Committee shall consist of members appointed by the Secretary, which shall include—
(A)
the Secretary;
(B)
representatives of Federal agencies (as determined necessary by the Secretary); and
(C)
covered nongovernmental representatives with expertise related to blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology (as determined necessary by the Secretary), which may include—
(i)
blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology infrastructure operators, suppliers, service providers, and vendors;
(ii)
application developers building on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology;
(iii)
developers and organizations supporting the advancement and deployment of public blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology;
(iv)
subject matter experts representing industrial sectors that can benefit from blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology;
(v)
small, medium, and large businesses;
(vi)
think tanks and academia;
(vii)
nonprofit organizations and consumer groups;
(viii)
cybersecurity experts;
(ix)
rural stakeholders;
(x)
covered nongovernmental representatives; and
(xi)
artists and the content creator community.
(3) Termination of advisory committee
The Advisory Committee shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Best practices
The Secretary shall, on an ongoing basis, facilitate and support the development of a compendium of identified or recommended guidelines or best practices for the deployment of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization that—
(1)
support the deployment of technologies needed to advance the capabilities of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(2)
support the interoperability of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(3)
support operations, including hashing and key storage and security systems, that form the foundation of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(4)
reduce cybersecurity risks that may compromise blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization; and
(5)
quantify the value and potential cost savings associated with adoption of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization, including through comparative analyses of competing and existing technologies within specific industry applications.
(e) Additional requirements
In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall—
(1)
consult closely and regularly with stakeholders, including private sector individuals and entities, and incorporate industry expertise;
(2)
collaborate with private sector stakeholders to identify prioritized, flexible, repeatable, performance-based, and cost-effective approaches to the deployment of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(3)
make public research and information pertaining to the use of, and marketplace for, blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(4)
develop standardized terminology for, and promote common understanding of, blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(5)
align the recommendations of the compendium described in subsection (d) with the goal of facilitating the ease of use of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization;
(6)
support open-source infrastructure, data management, and authentication activities with respect to blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization; and
(7)
consider the needs and interests of both the private and public sector, including small businesses and Federal, State, and local governments.
(f) Rules of construction
Nothing in this section may be construed—
(1)
to require a private entity to share information with the Secretary;
(2)
to require a private entity to request assistance from the Secretary;
(3)
to require a private entity to implement any measure or recommendation suggested by the Secretary in response to a request by the private entity; or
(4)
to require the adoption of the best practices described in subsection (d).
(g) Consultation
In implementing this section, the Secretary may, as appropriate, consult with the heads of relevant Federal agencies.
Sec. 4. Reports to Congress
(a) Interim reports
Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall make public on the website of the Department of Commerce and submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that includes—
(1)
a description of the activities of the Secretary under this title during the preceding year;
(2)
any recommendations by the Secretary for additional legislation to strengthen the competitiveness of the United States with respect to blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization; and
(3)
a description of any emerging risks and long-term trends with respect to blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, applications built on blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization.
(b) Final report
Not later than 18 months before the termination of the Advisory Committee pursuant to section 603(c)(3), the Secretary shall make available to the public on the website of the Department of Commerce and submit to the President, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a final report containing the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the Advisory Committee.