I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6572 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to take actions necessary and appropriate to promote the competitiveness of the United States related to 

the deployment, use, application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distributed ledger technology, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 4, 2023 

Mr. BUCSHON (for himself and Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to take actions necessary and appropriate to promote the competitiveness 

of the United States related to the deployment, use, 

application, and competitiveness of blockchain technology 

or other distributed ledger technology, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Deploying American 

5 Blockchains Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY OR OTHER DIS4 TRIBUTED LEDGER TECHNOLOGY.—The term 

5 ‘‘blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

6 technology’’ means a decentralized digital database 

7 where data is— 

8 (A) shared across a network of computers 

9 to create a ledger of verified information among 

10 network participants; 

11 (B) linked using cryptography to maintain 

12 the integrity of the ledger and to execute other 

13 functions; and 

14 (C) distributed among network partici15 pants in an automated fashion to concurrently 

16 update network participants on the state of the 

17 ledger and other functions. 

18 (2) NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION.—The 

19 term ‘‘non-governmental organization’’ means orga20 nizations described in section 2155(b) of title 19 of 

21 United States Code, excluding non-Federal govern22 ments. 

23 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

24 the Secretary of Commerce. 

25 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

26 the several States, the District of Columbia, each 


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1 commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 

2 States, and each federally recognized Indian Tribe. 

3 (5) TOKEN.—The term ‘‘token’’ means a 

4 transferrable, digital representation of information 

5 recorded on blockchain technology or other distrib6 uted ledger technology. 

7 (6) TOKENIZATION.—The term ‘‘tokenization’’ 

8 means the process of creating a token. 

9 SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE LEADERSHIP ON 

10 BLOCKCHAIN. 

11 (a) FUNCTIONS OF SECRETARY.—The Secretary 

12 shall serve as the principal advisor to the President for 

13 policy pertaining to the deployment, use, application, and 

14 competitiveness of blockchain technology or other distrib15 uted ledger technology, applications built on blockchain 

16 technology or other distributed ledger technology, tokens, 

17 and tokenization. 

18 (b) ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall take actions 

19 necessary and appropriate to promote the competitiveness 

20 of the United States related to the deployment, use, appli21 cation, and competitiveness of blockchain technology or 

22 other distributed ledger technology, applications built on 

23 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger tech24 nology, tokens, and tokenization including by— 


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1 (1) establishing best practices described in sub2 section (3) to assist the private sector, the public 

3 sector, and public-private partnerships in the deploy4 ment of technologies needed to advance the capabili5 ties of blockchain technology or other distributed 

6 ledger technology, applications built on blockchain 

7 technology or other distributed ledger technology, to8 kens, and tokenization; 

9 (2) developing policies and recommendations on 

10 issues and risks pertaining to the deployment, use, 

11 application, and competitiveness of blockchain tech12 nology or other distributed ledger technology, appli13 cations built on blockchain technology or other dis14 tributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization, 

15 including the issues of decentralized identity, cyber16 security, key storage and security systems, artificial 

17 intelligence, fraud reduction, regulatory compliance, 

18 e-commerce, health care applications, and supply 

19 chain resiliency; 

20 (3) supporting and promoting the stability, 

21 maintenance, improvement, and security of 

22 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

23 technology, applications built on blockchain tech24 nology or other distributed ledger technology, to25 kens, and tokenization; 


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1 (4) helping to promote the leadership of the 

2 United States with respect to the use of blockchain 

3 technology or other distributed ledger technology, 

4 applications built on blockchain technology or other 

5 distributed ledger technology, tokens, and 

6 tokenization; 

7 (5) promoting the national security and eco8 nomic security of the United States with respect to 

9 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

10 technology, applications built on blockchain tech11 nology or other distributed ledger technology, to12 kens, and tokenization; 

13 (6) supporting engagement with the public to 

14 promote best practices described in subsection (3); 

15 (7) considering policies or programs to encour16 age and improve coordination among Federal agen17 cies with respect to the deployment of blockchain 

18 technology or other distributed ledger technology, 

19 applications built on blockchain technology or other 

20 distributed ledger technology, tokens, and 

21 tokenization; 

22 (8) examining— 

23 (A) how Federal agencies can benefit from 

24 utilizing blockchain technology or other distrib25 uted ledger technology applications built on 


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1 blockchain technology or other distributed ledg2 er technology, tokens, and tokenization; 

3 (B) the current use by Federal agencies of 

4 blockchain technology or other distributed ledg5 er technology, applications built on blockchain 

6 technology or other distributed ledger tech7 nology, tokens, and tokenization; 

8 (C) the current and future preparedness 

9 and ability of Federal agencies to adopt 

10 blockchain technology or other distributed ledg11 er technology, applications built on blockchain 

12 technology or other distributed ledger tech13 nology, tokens, and tokenization; and 

14 (D) additional security measures Federal 

15 agencies may need to take to— 

16 (i) safely and securely use blockchain 

17 technology or other distributed ledger tech18 nology, applications built on blockchain 

19 technology or other distributed ledger tech20 nology, tokens, and tokenization, including 

21 to ensure the security of critical infrastruc22 ture; and 

23 (ii) enhance the resiliency of Federal 

24 systems against cyber threats to blockchain 

25 technology or other distributed ledger techVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 Dec 15, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6572.IH H6572

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1 nology, applications built on blockchain 

2 technology or other distributed ledger tech3 nology, tokens, and tokenization; 

4 (9) support the coordination of current and fu5 ture activities of the Federal government related to 

6 the security of blockchain technology and other dis7 tributed technologies, applications built on 

8 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

9 technology, tokens, and tokenization; 

10 (10) establishing a Blockchain Deployment Pro11 gram to support American leadership in the deploy12 ment and use of blockchain technology and other 

13 distributed ledger technology, applications built on 

14 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

15 technology, tokens, and tokenization; and 

16 (11) establishing advisory committees, not later 

17 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

18 this Act, to support the adoption of blockchain tech19 nology or other distributed ledger technology, appli20 cations built on blockchain technology or other dis21 tributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization, 

22 membership of which shall include— 

23 (A) the Secretary; 

24 (B) representatives of Federal agencies (as 

25 determined necessary by the Secretary); and 


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1 (C) nongovernmental stakeholders with ex2 pertise related to blockchain technology or other 

3 distributed ledger technology, including rep4 resentatives of— 

5 (i) blockchain technology or other dis6 tributed ledger technology infrastructure 

7 operators, suppliers, service providers, and 

8 vendors; 

9 (ii) application developers building on 

10 blockchain technology or other distributed 

11 ledger technology; 

12 (iii) developers and organizations sup13 porting the advancement and deployment 

14 of public blockchain technology or other 

15 distributed ledger technology; 

16 (iv) subject matter experts rep17 resenting industrial sectors that can ben18 efit from blockchain technology or other 

19 distributed ledger technology; 

20 (v) small, medium, and large busi21 nesses; 

22 (vi) think tanks and academia; 

23 (vii) nonprofit organizations and con24 sumer groups; 

25 (viii) cybersecurity experts; 


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1 (ix) rural stakeholders; 

2 (x) Non-governmental organizations; 

3 (xi) artists and the content creator 

4 community; and 

5 (xii) other stakeholders with relevant 

6 expertise (as determined necessary by the 

7 Secretary). 

8 (c) BEST PRACTICES.—The Secretary, shall, on an 

9 ongoing basis, facilitate and support the development and 

10 dissemination of best practices with respect to blockchain 

11 technology or other distributed ledger technology, applica12 tions built on blockchain technology or other distributed 

13 ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization that— 

14 (1) support interoperability of blockchain tech15 nology or other distributed ledger technology, appli16 cations built on blockchain technology or other dis17 tributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization; 

18 (2) support operations, including hashing and 

19 key storage and security systems, that form the 

20 foundation of blockchain technology or other distrib21 uted ledger technology, applications built on 

22 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

23 technology, tokens, and tokenization; 

24 (3) reduce cybersecurity and other risks that 

25 may compromise blockchain technology or other disVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 Dec 15, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6572.IH H6572

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1 tributed ledger technology, applications built on 

2 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

3 technology, tokens, and tokenization; 

4 (4) reduce uncertainty risks in the use of 

5 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

6 technology, applications built on blockchain tech7 nology or other distributed ledger technology, to8 kens, and tokenization; and 

9 (5) quantify the value and potential cost sav10 ings associated with adoption of blockchain tech11 nology or other distributed ledger technology, appli12 cations built on blockchain technology or other dis13 tributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization, 

14 including through comparative analyses of competing 

15 and existing technologies within specific industry ap16 plications. 

17 (d) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out 

18 subsection (3), the Secretary shall— 

19 (1) consult closely and regularly with stake20 holders, including private sector individuals and enti21 ties, and incorporate industry expertise; 

22 (2) collaborate with private sector stakeholders 

23 to identify prioritized, flexible, repeatable, perform24 ance-based, and cost-effective approaches to the de25 ployment of blockchain technology or other distribVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:45 Dec 15, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6572.IH H6572

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1 uted ledger technology, applications built on 

2 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

3 technology, tokens, and tokenization; 

4 (3) disseminate research and information per5 taining to the use of, and marketplace for, 

6 blockchain technology or other distributed ledger 

7 technology, applications built on blockchain tech8 nology or other distributed ledger technology, to9 kens, and tokenization; 

10 (4) develop standardized terminology, and pro11 mote common understanding of blockchain tech12 nology or other distributed ledger technology, appli13 cations built on blockchain technology or other dis14 tributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization; 

15 (5) ensure the best practices described in para16 graph (3) facilitate the ease of use of blockchain 

17 technology or other distributed ledger technology, 

18 applications built on blockchain technology or other 

19 distributed ledger technology, tokens, and 

20 tokenization; 

21 (6) support open-source infrastructure, data 

22 management, and authentication activities with re23 spect to blockchain technology or other distributed 

24 ledger technology, applications built on blockchain 


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1 technology or other distributed ledger technology, to2 kens, and tokenization; and 

3 (7) consider the needs and interests of both the 

4 private and public sector, including small businesses 

5 and Federal, State, and local governments. 

6 (e) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec7 tion may be construed to— 

8 (1) require a private entity to share information 

9 with the Secretary; 

10 (2) require a private entity to request assist11 ance from the Secretary; 

12 (3) require a private entity to implement any 

13 measure or recommendation suggested by the Sec14 retary in response to a request by the private entity; 

15 or 

16 (4) require the adoption of the best practices 

17 described in paragraph (3). 

18 (f) CONSULTATION.—In implementing this section, 

19 the Secretary may, as appropriate, consult with the heads 

20 of relevant Federal agencies. 

21 (g) TERMINATION.—The Blockchain Deployment 

22 Program established subsection (J) by shall terminate on 

23 the date that is 7 years after the date of the enactment 

24 of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

2 Not later than 2 years after the date of the enact3 ment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 

4 shall make public on the website of the Department of 

5 Commerce and submit to the Committee on Energy and 

6 Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Com7 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

8 Senate a report that includes— 

9 (1) a description of the activities of the Sec10 retary under this Act during the preceding year; 

11 (2) any recommendations by the Secretary for 

12 additional legislation to strengthen the competitive13 ness of the United States with respect to blockchain 

14 technology or other distributed ledger technology, 

15 applications built on blockchain technology or other 

16 distributed ledger technology, tokens, and 

17 tokenization; and 

18 (3) a description of any emerging risks and 

19 long-term trends with respect to blockchain tech20 nology or other distributed ledger technology, appli21 cations built on blockchain technology or other dis22 tributed ledger technology, tokens, and tokenization. 

Æ 


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