Hawaii introduces bill for new blockchain working group

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A new bill recently introduced to Hawaii’s House of Representatives could pave the way for a state-level blockchain working group, overseen by the local economic development agency.

The partisan Hawaii House Bill 622 was introduced by Democrats to the House, and would require the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation to form the new blockchain working group.

According to the bill, the working group would focus on creating a legal definition for blockchain, as well as advising on recommendations for adopting and implementing blockchain technologies in the state.

The introduction to the bill sets out the view of lawmakers that blockchain technology can be of practical use in a range of public sector functions.

“The legislature recognizes that the distributed ledger format that blockchain technology functions as can be leveraged to support an array of government and public-sector applications, including land registration, identity management, supply chain traceability, health care, corporate registration, taxation, voting, digital currency and payments, and legal entities management. Such a technology requires an educated and thorough approach so that the implementation of blockchain technology in the State does not impede innovation and growth.”

As per the bill, the new group would operate via a task force, chaired by the head of the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. The task force would in turn invite representatives from across relevant sectors to share expertise, including from the technology and academic sectors, as well as from consumer advocacy groups, non-profits and other stakeholders.

If the bill wins approval, it would see the working group established within 90 days, with the remit of feeding back to the state legislature a month before the House convenes for the 2022 session. The group itself is scheduled to be disbanded by June 30 2022, after the deadline for its recommendations.

See also: U.S. Rep. Darren Soto’s keynote talk at CoinGeek Live, Balancing Innovation & Regulation for Growth of Blockchain Technology