On Thursday, Wyoming State Senators Chris Rothfuss and Tara Nethercott with House Representatives Jared Olsen and Mike Yin introduced Senate File SF0106, titled the “Wyoming Stable Token Act.” If signed into law, the bill would authorize the treasurer to issue a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin redeemable for fiat held in an account by the state.

The state treasurer — Curtis Meier at the time of publication — would consult with the department’s Investment Funds Committee and have the authority to hire “accountants, auditors, consultants and other experts” to issue the coins, as well as stipulate limitations and rules. State officials would have until Dec. 31 to issue the stablecoin, with the option to submit a report by Nov. 1 if such an offering were determined to be “incompatible federal or state law.”

Caitlin Long, CEO of Avanti Financial — which is headquartered in Wyoming — weighed in on the legislation, saying there were pros and cons to the bill, but it was “definitely a conversation-starter” for lawmakers exploring stablecoins. Long has previously described stablecoins as “very important bridges between crypto and the U.S. dollar” in need of regulatory clarity.

“It's a mind-bender,” said Long in reference to the proposed stablecoin. “Akin to a muni bond that neither pays interest nor has a maturity date but is redeemable — except it isn't exactly that bc, as a token, there would be big legal & structural/settlement differences.”

NEWS--bipartisan group of top #Wyoming legislators proposed a bill for State of Wyoming to issue a #stablecoin, 100% backed by USTreasuries, where the State keeps the float.