IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1622 

Emphasizing the importance and power of distributed ledger technologies 

(DLT) to support democratic governance, human rights, internet freedom, and transparency. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 19, 2024 

Mr. AMO (for himself and Mrs. KIM of California) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Emphasizing the importance and power of distributed ledger 

technologies (DLT) to support democratic governance, 

human rights, internet freedom, and transparency. 

Whereas distributed ledger technologies (DLT), including 

various forms of blockchain technology, offers significant 

potential benefits for strengthening democratic governance, enhancing transparency, promoting human rights, 

and supporting sustainability; 

Whereas DLT’s ability to ensure the integrity, authentication, and verification of shared information is critical for 

the effective delivery of democratic governance and services to citizens; 

Whereas DLT has been applied in diverse areas such as identity management, land rights, citizen representation, 


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•HRES 1622 IH 

tracking of goods and services, and has shown potential 

to improve government accountability, combat misinformation, and facilitate transparent financial transactions; 

Whereas DLT has the potential to enhance the resiliency of 

democratic institutions against corruption, misinformation, and inefficiencies by providing a tamper-resistant 

and transparent platform for the recording and 

verification of transactions and data; 

Whereas DLT provides an innovative solution to combat censorship and empower people around the world by enabling the creation of decentralized platforms that safeguard free expression and access to information by routing traffic through nodes in jurisdictions with robust 

legal frameworks for digital rights; 

Whereas the use of DLT in securing digitized government 

documents, land registration, facilitating financial transfers, countering deep fakes, and advancing justice and 

the rule of law demonstrates its versatility and potential 

to support democratic processes and human rights; 

Whereas the strategic application of DLT can also address 

global challenges, contribute to sustainability, and ensure 

more inclusive access to services without compromising 

privacy or stifling technological innovation; 

Whereas DLT solutions can enhance the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of distributing aid by supporting, 

for example, direct cash transfers, reducing intermediaries, lowering costs, and speeding up delivery; 

Whereas DLT’s decentralized design boosts the resilience of 

essential systems by spreading data across multiple 

nodes, which avoids single points of failure and ensures 


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•HRES 1622 IH 

continuous service, even during targeted attacks or local 

disruptions, and such resilience is crucial for keeping 

data intact and available in sectors vital to democratic 

governance and humanitarian aid, helping these systems 

stay robust and functional under different stress conditions; 

Whereas the innovative applications of DLT are still in the 

early stages, requiring further exploration, understanding, and supportive policy frameworks to fully realize their potential in strengthening democracies; and 

Whereas the DLT community is committed to ensuring responsible use of DLT technology and promoting the 

United States national security interests: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) urges the Department of State, the Devel3 opment Finance Corporation, the United States 

4 Agency for International Development, and other 

5 agencies of the United States Government to explore 

6 and support the development and application of dis7 tributed ledger technologies to strengthen democratic 

8 governance, promote human rights, enhance trans9 parency, and support sustainability efforts and hu10 manitarian aid delivery; 

11 (2) encourages the promotion of the distributed 

12 ledger technologies to combat censorship and ensure 

13 the free flow of information as a cornerstone of de14 mocracy and human rights, acknowledging the techVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:07 Dec 24, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1622.IH HR1622

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1 nology’s role in enabling citizens to access restricted 

2 content and express themselves freely, thereby con3 tributing to the global spread of democratic values 

4 and the protection of freedom of speech; 

5 (3) calls for deeper engagement from the 

6 United States Government with technology experts, 

7 civil society, and international partners to under8 stand the opportunities presented by distributed 

9 ledger technologies and its most practical applica10 tions, ensuring its responsible and effective use; 

11 (4) affirms the importance of United States 

12 leadership in developing a regulatory and policy 

13 framework that encourages the ethical use of distrib14 uted ledger technologies, while promoting sustain15 ability and addressing concerns such as accessibility 

16 and the risk of misuse by malign actors; and 

17 (5) encourages further research, innovation, 

18 and investment in distributed ledger technologies 

19 that can contribute to the public good, strengthen 

20 democratic institutions, and ensure the integrity of 

21 democratic processes. 

Æ 


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