State senator wendy rogers has introduced a bill to make bitcoin legal tender in the grand canyon state. along with this bill, rogers proposed another bill to prevent local authorities from taxing the use of blockchain technology and allowing state agencies to accept cryptocurrency as a payment method. her republican colleagues jeff weninger and j.d. mesnard have co-sponsored the bills.
the bill was introduced earlier this week, shortly after coinbase ceo brian armstrong suggested that brazil and argentina, which are mulling the creation of a common currency, could consider using bitcoin as legal tender. el salvador was the first country to take the step in 2021, followed by the central african republic last year. rogers introduced a similar bill almost exactly a year ago, but it was not adopted.
if the bill passes, arizona would become the first u.s. state to give bitcoin the same legal status as the dollar. republicans hold a slim majority in the state senate, so if all her fellow party members get behind the bill, it could pass without democrat support. rogers, a self-professed member of the far-right militia group the oath keepers, and an enthusiastic supporter of former president donald trump, has tried to make bitcoin legal tender before.
https://decrypt.co/120045/right-wing-arizona-senator-pushes-recognize-bitcoin-legal-tender
