FINAL BILL REPORT

SSB 6065

FULL VETO

Synopsis as Enacted

Brief Description: Establishing the Washington blockchain work group.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology (originally sponsored by Senators Brown, Hasegawa, Kuderer, Nguyen, Rolfes, Short, Wilson, L., Das and Wellman).

Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology

House Committee on Innovation, Technology & Economic Development

Background: In 2019, legislation was enacted providing that an electronic record may not be denied legal effect because it is generated or stored using distributed ledger technology.

Distributed ledger technology means any distributed ledger protocol and supporting infrastructure, including blockchain, that uses a distributed, decentralized, shared, and replicated ledger.

Blockchain means a cryptographically secured, chronological, and decentralized consensus ledger or consensus database maintained via internet, peer-to-peer network, or other similar interaction.

Summary: Subject to appropriations, the work group is established with the purpose of examining various potential applications of blockchain technology such as computing, banking and other financial services, the real estate transaction process, health care, supply chain management, higher education, and public recordkeeping.

The work group is composed of:

• one member from each of the two largest caucuses in the Senate and the House of Representatives;

• the lieutenant governor, or the lieutenant governor's designee;

• the director, or the director's designee, for the departments of Commerce, Agriculture, and Financial Institutions and the Consolidated Technology Services Agency; and

• individuals representing specified associations that must be appointed by the Governor.

In addition, individuals representing other sectors may be invited by the chair, in consultation with the other appointed members of the work group, to participate in the work group in an advisory capacity. These invited representatives are not members of the work group, may not vote, and are not subject to gubernatorial appointment. There is no limit on the number of invited individuals acting in an advisory capacity.

The work group shall hold its first meeting by August 1, 2020, and elect a chair from its members at that meeting. A public comment period must be provided at every work group meeting. Staff support for the work group must be provided by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.

The work group shall submit a report on recommended policies that will facilitate the development of blockchain applications in Washington to the Governor and the appropriate committees of the Legislature by December 1, 2021. The work group dissolves January 1, 2022.

Votes on Final Passage: