Texas votes to add crypto to state bill of rights
Texas lawmakers have voted by a wide margin to amend the state’s Bill of Rights and add a provision recognizing the right of individuals to own, hold and use digital currencies. The decision was made on Wednesday 10 May.
House Bill HJR 146, introduced by State Representative Giovani Capriglione, declares that individuals have the right to use a mutually agreed upon medium of exchange, which includes digital currencies, cash, coins, bullion or scrips, for the trading and contracting of goods and services, and that this the right cannot be violated.
The document received up to 139 votes in favor and only two against, and it includes a statement that “no government shall prohibit or impede the ownership or possession of any form or quantity of money or other currency.”
The Texas Bill of Rights safeguards essential freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion and the press, similar to the US Bill of Rights. However, it also includes specific clauses related to Texas, such as the right to a speedy trial and the right to keep and bear arms for self-defense.
Should it pass and become law, the recent amendment would also give Texans the privilege to use digital currencies, such as Bitcoin (BTC). Tom Glass, who established the Texas Constitutional Enforcement group, noted on Thursday 11 May that there is another vote in the House on HJR 146, and then it goes to the Senate and a vote by the people.
In his explanation of the bill, Glass stated that the goal is to leverage the inclusion of the right to own, hold and use digital currencies in the Texas Bill of Rights to make a legal argument in the federal judiciary. This argument would invoke the Ninth Amendment to the US Constitution, which recognizes the existence of natural rights beyond those explicitly listed in the first eight amendments.
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According to the Texas Constitutional Enforcement group, inclusion of digital currencies in the Texas Bill of Rights is critical to safeguarding Texans’ financial privacy. They stated that the use of alternative currencies is necessary to protect the wealth that Texans have worked hard to accumulate from being eroded by an unstable dollar. The group also emphasized that Texans should not be forced to rely solely on the services of global financial elites, as that would put all their financial assets at risk of devaluation and confiscation.
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