Cybersecurity & Tech

What is happening? Colorado started accepting crypto to pay personal and business tax obligations.

Why is this important? The practical payment issues at play: Colorado requires that the entire invoice be paid in crypto, no splitting payments. A service fee will attach to the payment of $1 plus 1.83% of the payment amount. Finally, payment must be made by PayPal’s Cryptocurrencies Hub

How will this be important? It creates a safe way for cannabis industry to make payments in stead of the all cash payments that are usually made.

Route Fifty | Colorado Now Accepts Crypto for State Tax Payments

What is happening? California joins Texas and Virginia by allowing for enforcement, civil legal action, when a person receives unwanted sexually explicit images or videos

Why is this important? Un like the Texas law, the California law does not create a crime.

How will this be important? Some say this is another example of how states are leading the push for legislation to curtail cyber issues like data privacy, children’s online safety, and digital harassment

Washington Post | States are moving to penalize ‘cyber-flashing’

What is happening? Social media told a story of a van in Connecticut carrying ballots during the 2020 election as having crashed and the ballots lost. The story was untrue but went viral.

Why is this important? Connecticut has hired a misinformation specialist and has a $2million project to ensure accurate election information.

How will this be important?  Colorado Secretary of the State Jena Griswold created the Rapid Response Election Security Cyber Unit &  California has an office of election security.

Route Fifty | States Take New Steps to Stop Election Mistruths From Going Viral

What is happening? Digital Equity became a growing concern due to COVID when access to internet went from important to required. Now governments big and small are trying to figure out how to meet and prioritize digital equity.

Why is this important? It is not only digital access but also how the technology can help “ease barriers toward equity for different groups.”

How will this be important? This isn’t just about wifi speeds but also how to get seniors easier access to transportation coupons and services, utilizing human-centered design techniques for government forms so that all residents feel dignified, modernizing municipal fee structures so new companies find it easier to enter your market, &  enabling more innovative public-private partnerships.

Route Fifty | How Three Cities Across the Nation are Tackling Digital Equity

What is happening? There are no federally set standards for measuring broadband service speeds. Does your state set broadband speeds or is it the usual “up to a certain speed?” Would you buy up to a full bottle of wine?

Why is this important? Consumer should get what they think they are getting- the highest speed, and now that the government is involved in broadband access, and broadband speed- they too want to know what speed is actually being delivered.

How will this be important? The government is just like us- they want to know what they are paying for. The concern about discrepancies between advertised and actual speeds is real.

Route Fifty | The National Broadband Rollout Lacks Accurate Data About Internet Speeds

What is happening? Ethereum management is pivoting. Pivoting green. Pivoting to clean emissions. Atheneum’s new management will slash its carbon emissions by 99.95%.

Why is this important? Ethereum is moving from blockchain to Beacon chain. Blockchain uses a  “proof of work” model and Beacon chain uses a ““proof of stake” model that uses less energy.

How will this be important? Whether this impacts more crypto will depend upon whether crypto-miners redirect their tech to produce other currencies instead. “Peter Howson, a professor of international development at the U.K.’s Northumbria University, says a successful merge for Ethereum could encourage regulators to crack down on other crypto systems’ careless energy use. “

Corporate Knights | Now that Ethereum has gone green, will regulators make other crypto follow suit? 

What is happening? Let’s first commend Politico for the headline of all headline on this niche topic of node regulation: Node Country for Old Regulators. Now for the nitty gritty, the SEC has filed a crypto enforcement in the western District of Texas and within that is an argument that because a large enough group of nodes in the blockchain are in the U.S., thereby judicial enforcement is possible.

Why is this important? There’s nary any specific legal nor regulatory authorities in the U.S. on blockchain that makes up the backbone of crypto. There are judicial principles of how you can get a party into court, and the SEC is jumping on it. by saying the U.S. hosts 46% of the nodes for ethereum.

How will this be important? The issue of how to get economic activity that occurs on blockchain, decentralized computer network activity, into a court’s jurisdiction is here to stay. Hello lawmakers and regulators… you’re up to bat.

Politico | Node country for Old Regulators

What is happening? Electronic trading giant Citadel Securities, brokerages Fidelity Investments and Charles Schwab Corp., and high-speed trading firm Virtu Financial Inc. and venture-capital firms Sequoia Capital and Paradigm announced EDX Markets this Tuesday.

Why is this important? No timeline for the launch but it will serve both individual and institutional investors

How will this be important? EDX said the operations of the exchange would be separated from the firms that trade on its marketplace, which “will remove significant conflicts of interest that affect existing cryptocurrency exchanges.”

Wall Street Journal | Fidelity, Schwab, Citadel Securities Plan to Launch New Crypto Exchange

What is happening? The national blockchain association has formed a PAC.

Why is this important? Blockchain Association’s PAC to support pro-crypto candidates to the tune of 10s of millions before November 2022.

How will this be important? “Donors from the industry have given $72.8 million to federal candidates and committees from January 2021 through July, a Bloomberg analysis of Federal Election Commission records shows. That total surpasses the $70.6 million given by the oil and gas industry, the $55.4 million given by the transportation sector and the $25.4 million given by the defense companies over the same period.”

Bloomberg | Crypto Trade Group for Circle, Kraken Seeks Clout With PAC to Spread Cash Haul

What is happening? Center for Data Innovation report calls for state legislation to pass laws with “tougher enforcement of penalties on companies that solicit or write fake reviews.” The report also recommends laws that “prevent people from getting hit with lawsuits over negative reviews they write.”

Why is this important? Online reviews affected $3.8 trillion of global e-commerce revenue in 2020

How will this be important? “In 2013, the New York state attorney general created a fake yogurt shop to solicit offers from companies that leave fake reviews on platforms like Google and Yelp. In all, 19 companies were identified, and the perpetrators agreed to stop writing reviews and pay $350,000 in fines. ” Wow. Just wow.

Governing | States Should Crack Down on Bogus Online Reviews, Advocates Say

What is happening? A crypto mining holding company purchased an office building in the Greater Houston area that has a contiguous 1000,000 sq. feet of underground data center space that is “ready to receive approximately 15MW of power capacity.”

Why is this important? It can connect quickly to the grid. There is also talk of renewable generation site by developing incremental power on 30 contiguous acres. 

How will this be important? Greenidge Technology Holdings has halted all new cryptomining in Texas, and is focusing on existing facilities in North Carolina and New York.

DCD | Cryptomining holding firm acquires underground data center in Texas

What is happening? The most reliable COVID rate data is found in wastewater, not in positive test results. Waste water COVID data is more reliable and economical to collect.

Why is this important? Although waster water COVID data is more accurate, funding for collecting COVID data in wastewater has been unreliable.

How will this be important?  There are now “1,000 CDC-funded surveillance sites are now operational across the U.S. The agency expects 200 more to start collecting data within the next few months.”

Governing | Wastewater Produces Better COVID Data, But Is Inconsistent

What is happening? The Maine Technology Asset Fund is a state-funded $45 million business development program that has served almost 30 Maine companies since 2019. The kicker- it’s allegedly steeped in privacy with very little public information.

Why is this important? The lack of public disclosure was enshrined in 1999 when the program was created. Now, the Legislature looks to review it and see what light needs to shine.

How will this be important? The grant program requires recipient companies to make investments, the program is capped at a certain amount, and receive payments based on performance.

Governing | Despite Secrecy, Maine’s Tech Investment Program Protects Taxpayers

What is happening? Revealing a mobile phone user’s precise location is an issue when that mobile phone user has a restraining order against a violent former partner. Privacy advocates say there isn’t enough consistency, that while the FCC controls, 3rd party contracts can let geolocation information through.

Why is this important? Laws and technology do not innovate at the same pace. Technology is like light speed and laws are like a sloth. With the added fun of states also having ability to enforce their own data privacy laws.

How will this be important? According to the FCC, “Continued reliance on such attenuated consent mechanisms and ineffective monitoring tools apparently did not meet the reasonableness requirement,” so letting consumers decide might not be the best choice.

Route Fifty | Lax State Data Privacy Rules May Expose Consumer Location Information

What is happening? For 12 years in a row healthcare data breaches have been the costliest. Since 2020 costs are up 20% and in year over year terms, the average cost is up $1M to $10.1 million.

Why is this important? The 2nd costliest industry for data breaches is finance and its average annual cost is $6 million.

How will this be important? “Across all industries, the average cost of a data breach was $9.4 million in the U.S.”

Healthcare Dive | Healthcare remains costliest industry for data breaches

What is happening? California is considering SB892 (2022 | CA) that requires California’s Office of Emergency Management to “develop, propose and adopt optional reporting requirements” for food and agriculture industry entities and cooperatives and water/wastewater systems.

Why is this important? Emergency Management Services will provide a “strategic, multiyear outreach plan” to help these organizations boost cybersecurity

How will this be important? The bill also prohibits reported cyber attacks from being available from public information.

Government Technology | California IT Bills Survive as Legislative Deadline Nears

What is happening? Texas Comptroller’s Fiscal Note for August 2022 highlights crypto mining. Turns out there is no way to know how many crypto mining operations are up and running in Texas because there is no registration requirement.

Why is this important? Crypto it is said is looking for 3 things: electricity availability, electricity rates, and the speed by which electricity can be delivered. By example, the Whinstone Crypto Mine operating in Rockdale, TX is housed in a former Alcoa Steel Facility. A modest size crypto mine is said to use the same amount of electricity as downtown Dallas. Whinstone has had a positive economic impact on Rockdale from job creation to city tax revenues.

How will this be important? By 2030 it is estimated that crypto mining in texas could use the same amount of electricity as the City of Houston.

State of Texas Comptroller | Cryptocurrency in Texas

What is happening? By the end of 2022, 30% of states will join the  Joint-Cybersecurity Operations Command Center. The Center was founded in North Dakota. 20% of states are currently members of the Center that facilitates interstate cooperation on cybersecurity and threat intelligence. 

Why is this important? “If one state is being attacked, the others will most likely be targeted next,” North Dakota’s Chief Information Security Officer Michael Gregg said in a statement.

How will this be important? Prior to the Center’s formation there was no response sharing, and now more than 13,000 organizations including state and local governments, providing “incident response and remediation.”

Route Fifty | Interstate Cyber Command Center Expands to 10 States

What is happening? The EU has created a new regulatory position, it will “create a sixth “Anti-Money Laundering Authority” (AMLD6) that will be specifically responsible for regulating the cryptocurrency industry.”

Why is this important? AMLD6 will have direct control over the crypto market. It is described by the EU parliament as ““EU-level supervision consisting of a hub and spoke model – i.e. supervisor at the EU level competent for direct supervision of certain financial institutions (FIs), indirect supervision/coordination of the other FIs, and a coordination role for supervising the non-financial sector as a first step.”

How will this be important? The US, states, other countries, are all trying to figure out crypto regulation. Here’s a roadmap, take what you want, leave behind what you don’t like.

EU Parliament | AMLD6

The BLOCK | The EU is on the verge of creating a new AML regulator that will oversee crypto

What is happening? VIXIO, a regulatory intelligence firm, estimates that if every state that has land based casinos or mobile sports betting adopted gaming the annual tax revenue would be $6.35 billion.

Why is this important? Huge untapped market. States could access billions in tax revenue.

How will this be important? Annual iGaming revenue from 42 states is estimated to exceed $30 billion

Casino.org | iGaming Could Generate $6.35B in Annual Taxes, Study Finds

What is happening? Twitch users are reporting that SWATing, or swatting, calling in a fake crime to cause SWAT to enter a home of a gaming or social media person with the intent to harass them.

Why is this important? As a LGBTQ twitch streamer noted when she was SWATed, her life was in danger.

How will this be important? SWATing has resulted in at least 1 death.

@WashingtonPost

What is happening? The Texas Attorney General will be issuing an opinion on whether school districts can  to contract with a vendor for security services for services that include facial recognition software.

Why is this important? Texas Business and Commerce Code chapter 305 has limits on biometric data- from back in the early 2000s when personal privacy was super important in Texas.

How will this be important? It is a measure off where the far right in Texas is on privacy.

RQ-0473-KP

What is happening? The U.S. House Financial Services Committee wants Diversity, Equity & Inclusion data from cryptocurrency players.

Why is this important? The Committee wants to ensure that the U.S. financial services system works for all.

How will this be important? ” The committee has singled out 20 firms it believes to be the “largest crypto, Web3, and digital assets companies,” as well as venture capital firms in the space. These include Aave, Andreessen Horowitz, Binance.US, Circle, Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN), Crypto.com, Digital Currency Group, FTX, Gemini, Haun Ventures, Kraken, OpenSea, PancakeSwap, Paradigm, Paxos, Ripple, Sequoia Capital, Stellar Development Foundation, Tether, and UniSwap. “

CoinGeek | US lawmakers calls for diversity and inclusion data from 20 digital assets firms

What is happening? The Wall Street Journal reports that “Securities and Exchange Commission issued a proposal Wednesday that would require large hedge funds to report their cryptocurrency exposure through a confidential filing known as Form PF.”

Why is this important? Crypto is not heavily regulated and now we’re seeing a scramble for regulation and oversight.

How will this be important? Regulators are getting twitchy because of ac concern of financial collapse if crypto holdings extend too far into traditional financial institutions before regulations are in place.

Wall Street Journal | Regulators Weigh Asking Hedge Funds to Report Crypto Exposure

What is happening? The federal CHIPS and Science Act funds create 20 “regional technology and innovation hubs.”

Why is this important? $10 billion will be allocated to the Department of Commerce over 4 years to fund 20 hubs. At least 3 hubs will be placed in each of the Economic Development Administration’s six regions.

How will this be important? Facts sheets say that the hubs will “position communities throughout the country to lead in high-growth, high-wage sectors such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and clean energy technology.”

Route Fifty | Semiconductor Bill to Fund 20 Regional Technology Hubs

What is happening? Two weeks after New Orleans Police Department began using facial recognition software, City Council passed additional ordinances governing its use.

Why is this important? The new ordinances prohibit the software’s use for violations or crimes related to Lousiana’s abortion law or sex crimes between adults. The software may be used with permission from the State Police for certain crimes such as  violent crimes, including shootings, carjackings and rapes.

How will this be important? Overturning of Roe v. Wade is impacting a wide range of existing state laws and its ordinances.

Times-Picayune via Governing | New Orleans City Council Regulates Facial Recognition

What is happening? Gucci leads all retailers in accepting crypto.  70% of its full, directly operated stores accept crypto. Gucci says it likes the spirit of adventure.

Why is this important? Gucci was the first brand to accept crypto, and this week was the first brand to accept ApeCoin. This week as in the week that includes August 4, 2022- what a roller coaster!

How will this be important? Forbes: “Bitcoin and Ethereum, for instance, are bouncing back after a major crash in June 2022. But the fascination with block-chain based currency endures.”

Forbes | Gucci Leads In Crypto Transactions

What is happening? The list of U.S. Senators working on crypto legislation includes: Sens. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and John Boozman, R-Ark.;  Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa; Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo;

Why is this important? There’s a host of ideas. In order of the authors proposals these bill will:

• Give regulatory authority to Commodities Futures Trading Commission which is the crypto industry’s fave choice
•  Stablecoin TRUST Act, that would create a framework to regulate stablecoins
• Responsible Financial Innovation Act would set definitions and give the IRS  to adopt guidance on merchant acceptance of digital assets and charitable contributions

How will this be important? The proposals are all bipartisan. Something they can agree on- they’ve got to fix the anarchy of crypto.

AP | New crypto oversight legislation arrives as industry shakes

What is happening? The Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act defines  broadband internet access as a telecommunications service granting authority to the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate net neutrality protections. 

Why is this important?  FCC could then prohibit discriminatory practices like blocking, throttling and paid prioritization online.

How will this be important? The public policy goals are to enhance public safety, increase accessibility, close the digital divide, and protect consumers.   

SENATORS MARKEY, WYDEN AND REP. MATSUI INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO REINSTATE NET NEUTRALITY, REVERSE DAMAGING TRUMP-ERA DEREGULATION 

Route Fifty | Bill Aims To Reclassify Broadband As Essential To Promote Net Neutrality

What is happening? The National Credit Union Administration is proposing a 72 hour reporting requirement for cyber incidents at credit unions.

Why is this important? It places Credit Unions on par with critical infrastructure in reporting cyber incidents.

How will this be important? The credit union regulator calls this 72 hour standard the prudent action.

Inside Cybersecurity | Credit union regulator proposes 72-hour incident reporting rule, sets requirements for third-party vendors

What is happening? Congress is working on a federal semi conductor bill to promote US manufacturing of semi conductors. The US Senate approved  $54.2 billion in subsidies to expand semiconductor production and other technology initiatives.

Why is this important? Samsung announced its $17 billion semi conductor manufacturing facilities in Taylor Texas could expand to  $192 billion to build 11 fabrication plants, creating a total of 10,000 job.

How will this be important? The ultimate goal is to lessen foreign supply chain issues that have been plaguing 2021 and 2022.

Route Fifty | Why Cities and Towns See a Huge Economic Opportunity in the Semiconductor Bill

What is happening? The FCC Chair is proposing increasing the national broadband standard to 100 megabits per second for download and 20 Mbps for upload – the current standard of 25 Mbps upload and 3 Mbps download speed standard was set in 2015.

Why is this important? COVID has states in the process of rolling out better broadband to underserved areas.

How will this be important? The FCC Chair also wants the FCC to consider “affordability, adoption, availability and equitable access” when it determines whether broadband is being deployed in a reasonable and timely fashion. 

Route Fifty | FCC Chair Pushes for Gigabit Speed Broadband

What is happening? Wyoming’s SF0038 (2021 | WY) created the legal framework for a new corporate structure known as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO). Vermont and Tennessee are making similar rules.

Why is this important? DAOS are now worth $21 Billion. The company functions like this:

• it is web based
• any investor has voting rights based on the number of shares the investor buys
• normal business decisions are taken by automated digital execution
• enforced by smart contracts

How will this be important? The summarized principle behind DAOs: “Shareholders vote on everyday executive decisions made by the company, sometimes even bringing certain issues up for vote themselves. It’s a more direct form of corporatized democracy”

Governing | Can We Turn Shareholders into Public Decision-Makers?

What is happening?  Jon Cunliffe, Bank of England’s deputy governor for financial stability calls for crypto regulations

Why is this important? He said, “technology can change the way risks are managed and distributed, it cannot eliminate them”

How will this be important?

Innovators, alongside regulators and other public authorities, have an interest in the development of appropriate regulation and the management of risk.–Jon CunliffeDEPUTY GOVERNOR, BANK OF ENGLAND

CNBC | Crypto needs regulation — technology can’t remove all financial risks, BOE’s Cunliffe says

What is happening? Pennsylvania Governor has signed HB 2142 (2022 | PA) that would utilize National Guard to help train local governments on cyber security prevention.

Why is this important? The author says the bill affords the “Pennsylvania National Guard the ability and authority to provide functional support for cybersecurity across the commonwealth and it increases that communication ability amongst our agencies.” “

How will this be important? By open communication and providing access to local governments, Pennsylvania could unlock better state cyber security.

Route Fifty | A State Turns to Its National Guard to Provide Cybersecurity Training to Local Governments

What is happening? States are investigating crypto lenders as multiple cyrpto lenders have suspended transactions. California  Department of Financial Protection and Innovation is taking the lead for the state.

Why is this important? Issues that will be investigated include whether customers were made aware of the potential risks

How will this be important? In recent months the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation has determined that “some crypto interest accounts from such sites constituted unregistered securities after conducting an investigation.”

The Crypto Currency Post | California Launches An Investigation Into Crypto Companies

What is happening? 23 states have Cyber Task Forces created by Executive Order. 7 States have legislatively created cyber task forces.

Why is this important? A commonality among the recommendations: centralization

How will this be important? Governments aren’t just open to ransomware but also to open source software vulnerabilities, phishing emails, outdated legacy code 

Governing | What State Cybersecurity Task Forces Have Accomplished So Far

What is happening? Vauld froze transactions after  users pulled almost $200 million over the last three weeks

Why is this important? It is on the heels of Voyager Digital suspending transactions, Celsius Network LLC paused transactions, and Crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital Ltd has been ordered to liquidate

How will this be important? Regulation, regulation, regulation…. do laws cover how people get access to their assets? Do laws cover custody of the assets?

Wall Street Journal | Peter Thiel-Backed Crypto Lender Vauld Suspends Withdrawals

What is happening? A federal policy maker suggested digital passports for cryptocurrency would make ransomware less likely.

Why is this important? The crypto ID proposal would have a biometric element to make hackers and ransomeware less lucrative.

How will this be important? regulators will look to keep digital privacy while insuring greater identity requirements for crypto to keep good actors in and bad actors out.

Route Fifty | ‘Crypto Driver’s License’ Could Deter Use of Digital Currency in Ransomware

What is happening? Everyone talks ransomware, but the key to a ransomware attack is recovery of your data.

Why is this important? “Last year the total cost of recovering from a ransomware attack was $1.85 million—10 times the average ransomware payment—with businesses often facing several weeks of disruption after an attack.”

How will this be important? A ransomware recovery plan minimizes costs.

SC Magazine | In the era of ransomware, recovery has become as important as prevention

What is happening? At the annual meeting of the US Conference of Mayors, the mayors say blockchain offers a unique opportunity and support sharing best practices.

Why is this important? “cities need coherent guidelines for the testing, adoption and use of blockchain technologies to help communities grow their economies and better deliver public services”

How will this be important? An author of the blockchain resolution was Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve. Reno announced a pilot program to put the city’s registry of historic properties on the blockchain.

Governing | Mayors Endorse an Array of Emerging Technologies

What is happening? Wyoming is considering accepting crypto currency for political contributions, setting the value of the contribution to the value of the crypto on the day it was contributed.

Why is this important? WY may do this by rule and not statute

How will this be important? For Wyoming, a concern is that is they don’t tie the value to the time of the contribution, “…an appreciating asset may run afoul of election contribution limits.”

Governing | Wyoming Committee Considers Crypto Political Donations

What is happening? The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency “reported Friday, June 3, that voting touchscreens used in Georgia have security vulnerabilities that put them at risk to hacking attacks.”

Why is this important? recommended solutions include: increase security by conducting rigorous audits, strengthening physical protections of equipment and patching outdated software, and eliminate bar codes that are printed on ballots, which could be manipulated to change how votes are recorded. 

How will this be important? Election integrity experts say voters should verify their ballots before casting.

Atlanta Journal Constitution via Governing | Georgia Voting Touchscreens Pose Cybersecurity Risk

What is happening? When state services shifted online the websites responded with graphics; however as we’ve shifted to mobile services those graphics should be replaced by text according to Governing column.

Why is this important? Civic engagement platform ProudCity CEO says there is a ” government obligation to make information and services readily accessible and widely available” “Add artificial intelligence to the massive amount of text generated by government and you have a new and potentially powerful approach to modernization.”

How will this be important? Examples of text based resident services are:  boston.gov  Texas by Texas beta.ssa.gov 

Governing | Making the Case for Simple, Text-Based Government Websites

What is happening? Protecting Personal Data such as cell phone location tied to health information, such as seeking reproductive health care, is deemed as crucial if and when Roe is overturned.

Why is this important? Reproductive health clinics have returned to paper records to avoid a digital trail if data brokers selling this information.

How will this be important? Data marketplaces pledged to stop selling data culled from period-tracking apps, but will they is the ultimate question.

Washington Post Cyber Security 202 | A threat to abortion is prompting long-demanded reforms to the data broker industry

What is happening? Coinbase is shrinking its size (AKA laying off 18% of its staff) because of the crypto winter, it’s like the Game of Thrones- Winter is Coming.

Why is this important? Crypto Winter, is not Game of Thrones, there are no night walkers just an economic time period when price is “contract[ing] and remain[s] low for an extended period.”

How will this be important? Bit coin this year has lost more than half of its value.

NPR | Coinbase lays off 18% of its workforce. The CEO cites an upcoming crypto winter

What is happening? The majority of an ethics board for a drone production resigned over concerns about a drone equipped with a taser. The company halted the taser drone and then….

Why is this important? After the tragedy in Uvalde, TX the company reinstated its development of the taser drone.

How will this be important? A law professor says “What’s the emergency? School shootings are a crisis. I agree,” Friedman said. “But Axon, on its own best timeline, isn’t going to come up with anything for a couple of years. Why was it necessary to jump ahead like this?”

AP | Axon halts plans for Taser drone as 9 on ethics board resign

What is happening? A blockchain software company purchased $1 million in carbon credits.

Why is this important? The blockchain credits are for a 46-acre forest in Issaquah, Wash.

How will this be important? The money that the sale generated will help fund local forest management programs. It’s the largest carbon credit purchase of its kind in US history.

Seattle Times | Blockchain company buys $1M in carbon credits generated by Issaquah forest, the biggest such deal in U.S. history

What is happening? New York legislature passed a  “Green CHIPS” bill that will provide tax credits for green semi conductor manufacturers.

Why is this important? $500 million a year in state tax credits in exchange for at least 500 new jobs; spending at least $3 billion in capital investment over a period of ten years; spending $15 for every $1 of state incentives; and including “sustainability measures” to mitigate the “project’s greenhouse gas emissions impact over its lifetime.”

How will this be important? The legislation looks to gain favor if Congress passes its proposed  $52 billion subsidy program to move chip manufacturing back to the US

Governing | New York Legislature Passes Largest Industry-Specific Tax Break

What is happening? Lousiana is considering HR 180 (2022 | LA) that will require a study into whether candidates can accept campaign contributions in the form of crypto currency.

Why is this important? The Federal Election Committee has an opinion that allows for the acceptance of crypto but as an in-kind contribution

How will this be important? This comes on the heels of other crypto legislation this year like in VA where state chartered banks can serve as custodians for crypto; and SB22-025 (2022 | CO) that would allow security token offerings for state capital financing.

The Block | Louisiana bill proposes study on crypto campaign donations

What is happening? After pressure from crypto miners the nation’s first proposal to halt crypto mining is no more.

Why is this important? The legislation met its demise after the “crypto crash” in May.

How will this be important? The policy considerations were the short term economic benefit of crypto mining and the long term environmental impact of crypto mining.

Politico | Cryptocurrency mining moratorium stalls in New York State Senate

What is happening? Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium wants to cut down on Parmesan fraud. Yes, you read that correctly. Cheese Fraud. So, to ensure product quality, makers are embedding trackers into wheels of cheese.

Why is this important? Let’s say I’m the type of person who does taste tests of waters, salts, oils, Parmesan….taste matters. And if there’s only one place in the world where this cheese can be made to the exacting standards of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium then trackers it is.

How will this be important? fraudulent cheese is a $2.08 billion market.

@foodandwine

What is happening? Miami, New York, Austin and other cities have been incorporating digital currency into municipal operations. Then in May crypto losses totaled more than $1 trillion.

Why is this important? MiamiCoin and NewYorkCityCoin are at record-lows, however, the cities have not suffered financial losses because the cities do not own or invest in the cryptocurrency and do not accept it as payment. Locals who invested in the crypto have experienced losses.

How will this be important? Academics say that “mayors who encourage investment in their cybercoins are “actively encouraging people to participate in a scheme.” Supporters of crypto also say these losses bolster a need for regulation.

Route Fifty | Cities That Hyped Crypto Are Now Contending With the Crash

What is happening? As a result of COVID and a ransomware attack, Lincoln College, a predominantly Black college, in Iowa is closing after 157 years. 157 years!

Why is this important? After making costly tech investments to accommodate COVID, in December 2021, a ransomware attack “walled off the school’s access to its data and halted its recruitment, retention and fund-raising campaigns.”

How will this be important? a forewarning for other institutions.

Government Technology | Lincoln College Closure Is Just Another Ransomware Milestone

What is happening? Cities are being priced out of cyber insurance. Premium rates are rapidly increasing while at the same time warnings of hackers increase since the invasion of the Ukraine. Some cities are responding by self insuring. Some are ensuring that their vendor contracts require quick notification, and some adopt technology that can automatically check their websites for vulnerabilities.

Why is this important? 49% of city agencies that experience ransomware pay the ransom.

How will this be important? Led to cities self insuring. States are passing legislation that prevents the payment of ransoms.

Government Technology | Local Governments Seek Other Options Amid Cyber Insurance Woes

What is happening? Cleveland’s  Community Police Commission has offered recommendations concerning technology use by law enforcement. Created in 2015 as a result of investigations into excessive use of force.

Why is this important? This oversight commission has the goal of protecting residents’ civil rights.

How will this be important? The recommendations support embracing new technologies while establishing best practices for a “successful, crime prevention strategy without sacrificing trust or impacting civil liberties,”

Governing | Cleveland Commission Advises Oversight on Emerging Police Tech

What is happening? COVID led hospitals to increase their internet capable technologies to limit contact and improve communication of health care information.

Why is this important? This rapid use of new technology by hospitals also gave nefarious hackers an opportunity. Hacks have led to delayed surgeries, cancer treatment, lab results, maturity appointments and more.

How will this be important? “In 2020 and 2021, there were at least 168 ransomware attacks affecting 1,763 clinics, hospitals and health care organizations in the U.S., according to Brett Callow, a threat analyst for cybersecurity company Emsisoft.”

Route Fifty | Ransomware Attacks on Hospitals Put Patients at Risk

What is happening? This month, Gucci will begin accepting crypto currency at US stores.

Why is this important? Gucci has identified 10 tokens it will accept including bitcoin and Ether.

How will this be important? How many more luxury retailers will follow suit

@bloombergbusiness

What is happening?  Fort Worth has activated 3 Bitmain Antminer S9s bitcoin mining machines in its Information Technology Solutions Department’s data center

Why is this important? As far as I have seen Ft Worth is the 1st city to mine crypto. The machines were donated by Texas Blockchain Council

How will this be important? This is a 6 month pilot project. It is estimated that each machine will use the same energy as a household vacuum cleaner & generate ample bitcoin to cover the cost of the power. Lets see if any other cities jump on board.

Put Fifty | A City Government Begins Mining for Bitcoin

What is happening? The mayor of Reno, NV is considering selling an NFT of a city sculpture

Why is this important? Revenue. NFTs were a $25 Billion business last year.

How will this be important? How many other items can cities or local governments convert to NFTs and sell to gain revenue. NFTs the new local government merch.

Route Fifty | Bored Apes, Texting Robots and the Latest Digital Taxation Conundrum

What is happening? India by rule is shortening the data breach notification period to 6 hours. The rules were implemented by the country’s computer emergency response team, CERT-In & apply to  including service providers, data centers, government organizations, and corporations.

Why is this important? By reference, the EU’s GDRP has a 72 hour notification rule

How will this be important? The rules go so far as to list the types of incidents that have to be reported. There are 20 types that have to be reported and start on page 5.

The Daily Swig | India to introduce six-hour data breach notification rule

What is happening? Slow and steady wins the race. The model insurance data security legislation by the National Association of Insurance Commissioner has gained 2 more states. Kentucky & Maryland.

Why is this important? Kentucky HB 474 (2022 |KY) & Maryland SB 207 (2022 | MD) both put requirements on carriers to do things like risk assessments, reporting and compliance.

How will this be important? Both gave carriers a 1 year grace period for a written information security program compliance and a 2 year grace compliance period for  service provider oversight requirements.

National Law Review | Two States Enact Insurance Data Security Laws

What is happening? California is considering  Senate Bill 1275 that would make cryptocurrency tender for purchasing state and local government services- like taxes or vehicle registration.

Why is this important? California State Controller Betty Yee has indicated concerns about consistent financial reporting with cryptocurrency. An economist at Loyola Marymount University said, “I think it is too early, too premature, it is too risky, too volatile.”

How will this be important? California will be a bell weather state for state cryptocurrency legislation.

Sacramento Bee | Could you pay your taxes in Bitcoin? California lawmakers weigh cryptocurrency bills

What is happening? at the FTX and SALT’s Crypto Bahamas event. Crypto miners talked about energy efficiency and regulatory certainty.

Why is this important? The efficiency is focused on their mining by improving hashrate efficiency (the amount of power that a machine requires to produce a bitcoin) & data mining centers becoming more specialized and optimized for lower energy consumption by capturing heat used in mining and converting it to energy.

How will this be important? Bitcoin Mining Council says mining computers are 58% more efficient than they were 8 years ago. Miners also want to work with local grids to serve as a grid stabilizer.

Tech Crunch | Bitcoin miners say energy efficiency and regulatory certainty are crucial for the industry’s success

What is happening? As part of North Carolin’a budget bill it prohibited state and local governments from communicating with ransomware hostage takers.

Why is this important? If anyone watched Texas House Committee on State Affairs this week, you would have heard testimony from Texas DIR that it can cost less to rebuild than to pay a ransomware attacker. It’s economics…

How will this be important? Pennsylvania did a similar thing with passage of SB 726 (2022 | PA) that prohibits the use of public money to pay ransoms. S6806A in New York this year would also prohibit payment to ransomware attackers.

Route Fifty | North Carolina First State to Prohibit Agencies From Paying Ransoms

What is happening? MIT Tech did a dive into the March 2020 crypto hack that resulted the pilfering of  $620 million in the cryptocurrency Ethereum

Why is this important?”In 2021, criminal hackers stole approximately $3.2 billion in cryptocurrency”

How will this be important? The crypto world is moving too fast for seemingly both cybersecurity and regulatory oversight.

MIT Tech Review | A $620 million hack? Just another day in crypto

What is happening? For the last 10 years the FIDO Alliance has been pushing to make smart phone technology a replacement for old passwords.

Why is this important? The idea is your smart phone would authenticate you so passwords would be unnecessary.

How will this be important? FIDO Alliance is 250 companies that are largely in the healthcare and technology world.

Dive Wire | Behind the push to finally eliminate passwords

What is happening? Cowboy Crypto. Cowboys are the first NFL team to announce a crypto currency partnership with blockchain.com

Why is this important? NBA signed a a deal in October with Coinbase. Crypto.com bought naming rights for an arena shared by the Lakers, Clippers, Sparks and Kings. Crypto.com was named a unique digital currency trading platform during the FIFA World Cup

How will this be important? Let’s watch the partnership unfurl.

Bleacher Report | Cowboys Announce Blockchain.com Partnership; 1st Cryptocurrency Deal by NFL Team

Bitcoinist | NFL’s First Crypto Partnership: Dallas Cowboys Partners With Blockchain.com

What is happening? Mississippi is considering HB 1029 (2022 | MS) that creates the Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi office to  create a streamlined, central process for how broadband dollars are doled out for projects.

Why is this important? Mississippi has an exception for open meetings for state offices, but not for state commissions or boards.

How will this be important? I might suggest the takeaway here isn’t the statewide broadband planning in a standalone group, but more importantly may be the dispensing of 100s of millions by a ste office that isn’t subject to open records.

Governing | Mississippi Creates Statewide Broadband Development Office

What is happening? In 2018, West Virginia ran a pilot program testing blockchain to secure voting. Alaska in 2021 proposed legislation, SB 39 (2021 | AK) to build its voting system around blockchain which is considered more tamper proof.

Why is this important? The security of blockchain could also be useful for state issued IDs and for DAOs, Decentralized autonomous organizations

How will this be important? State government isn’t known for expedited adoption of new technology.

West Virginia Secretary of State | Under the Hood Blockchain Voting Pilot

What is happening? Miami Coin has netted the city $5.25 million in revenue but investors not so much as the crypto’s value has fallen.

Why is this important? The city is using the revenue to fund subsidies for low-income residents. 

How will this be important? NYCCoin isn’t faring better, having fallen from close to half a cent at the beginning of February to about a quarter of a cent

Wall Street Journal | MiamiCoin Gets Off to a Rocky Start

What is happening? Crypto Miner, Marathon Holdings is  is cutting the cord with Hardin Generating Station in Montana , because it must be carbon neutral by 2023.

Why is this important? “The Congressional Research Service put the amount of electricity going to crypto mining at 7,670 megawatts in 2019, the equivalent of more than five Colstrip Power Plants.”

How will this be important? This crypto was featured in national publications for being a way to salvage coal generating plants.

KPVI 6 | Crypto miner plans to exit Hardin coal-fired power plant

What is happening? Cyber security insurance rates are rising. Cities re reporting that they are paying twice the cost for half the coverage.

Why is this important? According to a survey 69% of cities have more expensive policies than last year. For the pooled Maryland Local Government Insurance Trust, premiums rose 300%

How will this be important? The Russian invasion of the Ukraine will also test policy clauses that  “war exclusion” and “hostile act exclusion” language in the policies

Route Fifty | Governments Confront Rising Cyber Insurance Rates

What is happening? Houston, Austin, Irving, Rowlett and Beaumont have asked the AG to allow them to seek franchise fees from internet streamers. rlington, Grand Prairie, Allen, Amarillo, Sugar Land, Mesquite, Dallas, Plano, Waco, Abilene, Carrollton, Frisco and Garland are all currently pursuing streaming tax via the existing franchise fees.

Why is this important? Cable franchise fees have been decreasing with streaming. Gotta get the revenue.

How will this be important? Are we defining these internet streamers as utilities….

SE Texas Record | Houston, Austin and three other Texas cities seek AG approval to sue streamers over franchise fees

What is happening? South Dakota Governor is directing $1.25 million for state universities to collaborate to form an agriculture cybersecurity partnership.

Why is this important? The predominant agriculture cybersecurity threat is far equipment which are connected to the internet, and become part of the internet of things.

How will this be important? Not only does farm equipment give access to fertilizer, which comprised the OKC bombing, but also could give access to changing the chemical structure and wipe out a crop.

Government Technology | South Dakota Universities Partner on Agriculture Cybersecurity

What is happening? A survey by HelpSystems asked how cybersecurity changed after COVID.

Why is this important? 53% of respondents said cyber threats were worse after COVID

How will this be important? These concerns are ratcheting up again with Russia’s invasion into the Ukraine.

BankInfoSecurity | How Has COVID-19 Changed CISO Approach to Data Security?

What is happening? Mobile Alabama adopted ShotSpotter, an auditory gunshot detection technology in an effort to reduce gun violence.

Why is this important? Mobile is using American Rescue Plan Act funds to pay for the contract that uses audio detection technology to pinpoint where gunshots occur.

How will this be important? City Council added protections limiting long term use and prohibiting data collection. Technology can only be used where people have no reasonable expectation of privacy.

Governing | Mobile’s Gun Violence Reduction Plan Sparks Surveillance Concerns

What is happening? Massachusetts Facial Recognition Commission released its recommendations this week and placed the responsibility to use facial recognition software with the State Police.

Why is this important? Other limits recommended include no algorithms concerning detectable emotions & requiring probable cause that the person committed a felony.

How will this be important? Massachusetts got tot his point by creating a commission in a 2020 police reform bill that created the commission.

Governing | Massachusetts Commission Sets Facial Recognition Guidelines

What is happening? 8 months after the state Legislature approved a ban on facial recognition software by law enforcement agencies, the Virginia Legislature approved use of facial recognition software by law enforcement. SB 741 (2022 | VA )

Why is this important? The bill authorizes certain uses like identifying witnesses, investigating sexual trafficking crimes, unidentified bodies in morgues, and  identify an individual when they have reasonable suspicion that the person committed a crime

How will this be important? To correct for misidentifications any facial recognition software used must “National Institute of Standards and Technology and have an accuracy rating of at least 98% across all demographic groups”

AP | Virginia lawmakers OK lifting ban on facial technology use

What is happening? Connecticut is considering a bill, Senate Bill 208 (2022 | CT) that would require parental consent for children under the age of 16 to engage in social media. The bill is expected to be amended to allow parents to remove children’s accounts.

Why is this important? children’s welfare organizations support that bill because of the mental health issues that can arise because of social media such as depression, body dysmorphia and suicidal thoughts.

How will this be important? Look for this to be replicated.

Connecticut Post | Connecticut Bill Would Require Parental Social Media Consent

What is happening? Google is pledging $2.5 billion to diversify suppliers. Google has had a plan to diversify suppliers for 10 years.

Why is this important? Some are attributing Googles renewed interest in its diversification of suppliers to a renewed interest in diversity, equality, and inclusion after the heightened awareness of Black Lives Matter in 2020.

How will this be important? Google is including mentorship and training so that it’s suppliers also contract with a diverse group of suppliers. I guess we could call this trickle down supply chain diversification.

CIO Dive | Google pledges to spend $2.5B with diverse suppliers in 2022

What is happening? Russian citizens have been moving to  defeat Russia’s internet censorship by utilizing VPNs and encrypted messaging apps.

Why is this important? Most of these end runs around government oversight are lessons learned from Chinese citizens who seek uncensored internet communication

How will this be important? Some say the more people who use these types of technology the more censorship resistant technology is accepted.

CNN | Russian internet users are learning how to beat Putin’s internet crackdown

What is happening? A report released this week from Accenture says there is an uptick in politically motivated hackers, with more hackers motivated to hack Russia.

Why is this important? Cannot make this stuff up: ” the notorious Conti ransomware gang pledged allegiance to Moscow. In response, a Ukrainian security researcher decided to leak a trove of internal chats detailing Conti’s operations.”

How will this be important? The day of the Russia attacks on Ukraine Anonymous, the hacker group, announced it was targeting Russia.

Politico Weekly Cybersecurity

What is happening? Wyoming has amended its playing field for crypto currency by providing for more decentralized organizations, which use digital tokens to track membership and more. The jargon is decentralized autonomous organizations, or DAO. SF 68 (2022 | WY)

Why is this important? DAO status gave American CryptoFed the requisite structure to pursue federal recognition for its virtual currency

How will this be important? ” Wyoming is now recognized as one of the top blockchain destinations in the world,” according to the first DAO’s CEO

Governing | Wyoming Law Sets Federal Recognition Foundation for Virtual Currencies

What is happening? Wyoming Legislature is considering Senate File 106 (2022 | WY) that would allow the State Comptroller to create a state stable coin (a form of cryptocurrency).

Why is this important? Wyoming would become the first state to issue a stable coin.

How will this be important? There are 49 other states that could head in this direction.

Investing.com | Wyoming lawmakers introduce legislation for state-issued stablecoin

What is happening? As we’re not near federal rules on crypto currency, let’s see what the states are up to.

Why is this important? An overview of state crypto rules:

• Arizona is considering legislation to make bitcoin legal tender.
• California is considering legislation to allow people to pay for state services with cryptocurrency
• Colorado Governor announced on twitter that the state will accept tax payments in cryptocurrency.
  • Colorado will become the 1st state to do so
• Ohio had a 2018 pilot program for accepting cryptocurrency for some taxes but the program was short lived
• Wyoming has been laying the ground work for a state cryptocurrency

How will this be important? There are 50 states and no federal rules. There is a lot more legislative and regulatory action coming your way on crypto.

WFAE | With federal rules unclear, some states carve their own path on cryptocurrencies

What is happening? This week President Biden issued an Executive Order concerning cryptocurrency to  centralize regulatory enforcement, protect consumers, and mitigate the fiscal and human costs of crypto misuse.

Why is this important? The Federal Reserve back a new Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) thereby laying the groundwork for a US backed digital currency that is indexed to the value of real-world cash, rather than subject to wild price fluctuations.

How will this be important? The EU is steps ahead and near passing legislation on cyrptoassets.

Computer World | Biden issues executive order on crypto regulation, stablecoin proposal

What is happening? The Texas House of Representatives Committee on State Affairs will be deep diving into the status and adequacy of cybersecurity preparedness among state agencies and contractors.

Why is this important? The cybersecurity of those who receive procurement awards is increasingly important.

How will this be important? A quick search of InfoHive will show you for years states have passed laws and rules to improve cybersecurity standards for state contractors.

What is happening? Earlier this week Anonymous announced on twitter it will be focusing on Russia and Putin to aid the Ukraine

How is this important? Hackers on both sides for this conflict that has a strong cyber element.

Why will this be important? Case of first impression for a global “cyber warfare”

CNBC | Global hacking group Anonymous launches ‘cyber war’ against Russia

What is happening? Politico Cybersecurity says  Conti ransomware gang and the LockBit 2.0 ransomware group have vowed in recent days to attack the critical infrastructure of any nation that retaliates against Russia

Why is this important? Remember the hackers who seized control of the Colonial Pipeline.

How will this be important? Besides wondering whether cyber insurance policies hold to cover losses, this is the environment for a hacker free for all.

Politico | U.S. cyber officials brace for attacks in wake of Ukraine invasion

What is happening? In Texas, “Gov. Greg Abbott sent a letter to the Texas Department of Information Resources and the Department of Public Safety directing both agencies to use their resources to safeguard critical infrastructure and to help local governments and school districts with their needs.”

“Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order directing the Office of Information Technology (OIT) to focus on protecting the state’s critical infrastructure from Russian cyberattacks or misinformation efforts.”

New York launched a Joint Security Operations Center to bring together federal, state, county, local governments and critical infrastructure partners to improve coordination and bolster cybersecurity efforts. 

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted that he had instructed the Joint Cybersecurity Task Force to increase outreach and assistance. 

New Jersey Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Cell, a component organization in the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness urged agencies to be on the lookout for information operations, cyber espionage and various cyberattacks and “ensure all preventive, detective, and responsive cybersecurity controls and plans are fully implemented and updated.”

Why is this important? There are continued denial of service and destructive malware attacks affecting Ukraine and other countries

How will this be important? Sharing information on attacks is a form of mitigating more attacks

Route Fifty | Governors Tighten IT Cybersecurity Amid Ukraine Attacks

What is happening? 45 organizations including the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Algorithmic Justice League, Fight for the Future, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Project on Government Oversight are calling on state and federal government to cease using 3rd party digital identification systems, ID.me.

Why is this important? There is no comprehensive law regulating the collection, use, disclosure and retention of biometric data.

How will this be important? Not only is there no comprehensive law, but also there is a 2019 study by the National Institute of Standards and Technology that found that the majority of facial recognition systems have demographic bias.

Route Fifty | Agencies Shouldn’t Use Facial Recognition for ID Verification, Group Says

What is happening? The IRS has stopped verifying identities with facial recognition software because it as using a 3rd party product and the government has an identity verification program. (e.g. don’t give 3rd parties access)

Why is this important? At the heart of this is the concept that  “digital identity management a “core government service.”

How will this be important? States, you’re up!

FCW | IRS backs away from facial recognition technology

What is happening? The City of Baltimore is expunging data collected by a now defunct low level  surveillance plane program.

Why is this important? Expunging this data is complicated. During the time the planes flew, 1,532 crimes were committed, only 158 crimes that relied on evidence from the planes, and 38 crimes were cleared with the evidence. Some prosecutions may rely on it which means the data has to be maintained until all appeals are exhausted. The legal system is not known for being fast.

How will this be important? Other cities have stopped programs that used a variety of techniques like facial recognition. How are cities expunging that data? Is the data every really gone? Not if Hollywood crime movies are to be believed.

Baltimore Sun via Governing | Baltimore Police to Expunge Surveillance Plane Records

What is happening? The FBI has formed a new team dedicated to cryptocurrency

Why is this important? The FBI team will coordinate with the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team in relation to cyber crimes.

How will this be important? The policy objective is to allow digital currencies to grow will limiting the illicit use of cryptocurrency.

The Hill | FBI to form new cryptocurrency unit

What is happening? Coinbase’s app downloads increased by 309% week-over-week after its Super Bowl ad

Why is this important? Crypto regulation is in its infancy

How will this be important? Crypto usage and purchase will drive policy.

TechCrunch | Super Bowl ads boosted crypto app downloads by 279%, led by Coinbase

What is happening? Congressman Josh Gottheimer proposes legislation to “designate certain digital currencies as “qualified” stablecoins if they can be redeemed on a one-for-one basis for U.S. dollars.”

Why is this important? Stablecions would be backed by banks or designated reserve assets in a non-bank.

How will this be important? Concerns include : “that a spike in redemption requests, or a stablecoin “run,” could result in bankruptcy at the issuer and start a domino of insolvency”

CNBC | Democratic lawmaker unveils bill that would define boundaries for stablecoin market

What is happening? The BlockCain Council of Texas estimates 27 bitcoin mining companies in Texas. One of those companies, Geosyn Mining expects to operate 531 mining machines.

Why is this important? Texas as Bitcoin Fund in operation and  two new natural gas-powered bitcoin mining facilities in Texas

How will this be important? Over the next year, Poolin CEO Kevin Pan, plans to quadruple its current 2GW mining facility in Texas.

TechCrunch | How Texas is becoming a bitcoin mining hub

What’s happening? PA had a COVID tracing contractor data breach that resulted in SB 696 (2022 | PA) that would require governmental entities, including school districts, to disclose known data breaches within 7 days to those impacted

Why is this important? The bill was amended to include 3rd party vendors.

How will this be important? The breach disclosure time frame is 3 days from discovery for notification to the state attorney general.

AP & WKPN | Pa. Senate advances data breach timely notice bill

What’s happening? NH Governor Sununu has created a Cryptocurrency Commission.

Why is this important? The Commission will make recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature on the state of regulation for cryptocurrency in NH.

How will this be important? TX currently has a study commission authorized but he Legislature. Hawaii’s default legislative position is a study of cryptocurrency. Everyone is looking for what Gov. Sununu identified : “must work to bring legal and regulatory certainty” 

Concord Monitor | Sununu launches cryptocurrency commission