Bill Text: TX HCR89 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced


Bill Title: Expressing support for the Bitcoin economy in Texas.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-22 - Referred to State Affairs [HCR89 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HCR89-Introduced.html
  88R19017 KSM-F
 
  By: Harris of Anderson H.C.R. No. 89
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, Bitcoin was created by the person or persons who
  represent the pseudonymous author Satoshi Nakamoto, who wrote the
  whitepaper describing the Bitcoin network and peer-to-peer
  transfers of a new kind of digital currency; Nakamoto and software
  engineer Hal Finney participated in the first Bitcoin transaction
  on January 3, 2009; and
         WHEREAS, Bitcoin introduced a number of technological
  breakthroughs, including the holding of cryptographic keys that
  represent a person's ownership of Bitcoin and the "blockchain," or
  "distributed ledger," technology that provides an ongoing, public
  record of the history of transactions on the network; and
         WHEREAS, The Bitcoin network is secure, and peer-to-peer
  transactions are confirmed by Bitcoin miners who use specialized
  computers and complex algorithms to solve math problems; the first
  miner to solve the problem wins the block and receives newly minted
  Bitcoins as a block reward; and
         WHEREAS, Over the years, Bitcoin has become a widely used
  cryptocurrency, and Bitcoin miners in Texas make up approximately
  25 percent of all Bitcoin mining activity in the United States;
  owners of Bitcoin are able to custody the cryptocurrency in digital
  wallets that prevent unlawful seizure of individual property, and
  they can participate in censorship-resistant transactions on the
  Bitcoin network; and
         WHEREAS, The Chinese government banned both the trading and
  mining of cryptocurrency in 2021, and this decision represents an
  authoritarian form of rule that is in complete opposition to the
  values of the United States; many Bitcoin miners left China to
  continue their work in other countries; known as the "great mining
  migration," this event benefited Texas, both as a state and as one
  of the largest economies in the world; however, other states and
  countries, such as New York and parts of Europe, have considered
  banning or temporarily suspending Bitcoin mining activities; and
         WHEREAS, The Lone Star State has certain principles regarding
  items of value that are embedded in the Texas Constitution, and
  these principles should be applied to all citizens with respect to
  the use and storage of Bitcoin; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby express support for protecting individuals who code or
  develop on the Bitcoin network in accordance with Section 8,
  Article I, Texas Constitution, which states that "Every person
  shall be at liberty to speak, write or publish his opinions on any
  subject"; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That individuals who mine Bitcoin in Texas will
  never be inhibited by any law or resolution that restricts the
  practice of securing the Bitcoin network for the safety of the
  virtual currency, which is held and transferred peer-to-peer; and,
  be it further
         RESOLVED, That all Bitcoin miners are welcome to seek out any
  forms of energy to help secure the Bitcoin network in the state of
  Texas; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That the individuals who own Bitcoin should be
  protected under Section 9, Article I, Texas Constitution, which
  states that "The people shall be secure in their persons, houses,
  papers and possessions, from all unreasonable seizures or
  searches"; this right should also extend to digital possessions,
  such as cryptocurrencies; and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That no citizen of Texas shall ever be deprived of
  their right to own Bitcoin and that all Bitcoin owners will be
  protected as they enjoy all the privileges associated with the
  cryptocurrency, including the immunity afforded by
  censorship-resistant spending of Bitcoin and the ability to store
  Bitcoin in an unhosted wallet without undue interference from any
  state agency; these protections shall be extended to Bitcoin owners
  in accordance with Section 19, Article I, Texas Constitution, which
  states that "No citizen of this State shall be deprived of life,
  liberty, property, privileges or immunities, or in any manner
  disfranchised, except by the due course of the law of the land";
  and, be it further
         RESOLVED, That those in the United States and the broader
  global network who work on Bitcoin coding, programming, and mining,
  shall know by this resolution that the Bitcoin economy is welcome in
  Texas, and that the Texas Legislature shall always seek to protect
  the rights of its citizens under the law and foster the growth and
  development of local businesses; in addition, all those in the
  broader community who choose to own Bitcoin as a manner of storing
  their wealth and transacting peer-to-peer with other law-abiding
  Texas citizens shall always feel free and safe in their ownership
  and use of Bitcoin in the state of Texas.
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