[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1492 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1492
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
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.
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