• Ohio state capitol
    Cryptocurrencies,  Innovators,  United States

    Ohio’s dream of becoming a blockchain-friendly state close to being a reality

    An amendment to a bill means all that’s needed is Gov. John Kasich’s signature

    Ohio’s bid to become an American blockchain haven got a big boost by the state’s legislature this week. As reported earlier, a bill proposed by Sen. Matthew Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) in the Ohio Senate would allow smart contracts using blockchain technology to carry the weight of a signature. S.B. 300 was and remains in committee. However, it may no longer be necessary to pass that bill separately. That’s because an amendment to another bill (S.B. 220), passed by both Ohio’s Senate and the House of Representatives on Wednesday night, means all that’s needed is Gov. John Kasich’s signature to make it law, which is expected to happen. As the amendment…

  • Ohio state capitol
    Cryptocurrencies,  Innovators,  Regulation,  United States

    With political chaos behind it, Ohio legislature can now move forward on blockchain bill

    Buckeye State looks to compete with Arizona as one of the most blockchain-friendly places to do business

    Ohio is hoping to redefine itself as being at the vanguard of 21st century technology. But for the past few weeks, there was a problem: 19th century-style politics causing chaos in the state capitol. Now with a new House Speaker, there’s hope the Buckeye State will return to pushing a blockchain-welcoming agenda. Three weeks ago, State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) introduced SB 300, otherwise known as “Revise Electronic Transactions Act/blockchain/smart contracts,” to the Ohio state senate. The bill has a very simple but important task: update the state’s electronic signature laws to include letting smart contracts on blockchains serve as legally binding contracts. Doing so would put Ohio up…