Lead by house speaker Ryan Smith, Ohio legislators convened this past Thursday at a press conference to discuss Ohio's interest in becoming a state that welcomes blockchain technology and the progression of it. Smith is working with colleges and businesses to promote the adoption of blockchain tech and its use cases.
The Ohio Senate signed off on a bill (Senate Bill 220) which entailed the updating of Ohio laws regarding electronic transactions and included in it blockchain based transactions. The bill was originally introduced by State Senator Matt Dolan earlier this year and has finally come to fruition.
Bernie Moreno, a luxury car dealer and businessman in Cleveland, OH, has also been pushing for the acceptance of blockchain tech in Ohio. Moreno is an outspoken individual attending conferences, making speeches and organizing events to promote the adoption of blockchain tech.
“We’ve got to think moonshot,” Moreno said. “And this is a moonshot that’s possible. If I said to you, 'hey, we’re going to be the world capital of the internet,' you would say, ‘Hey, uh, that kind of happened already… But this is something we can do. This is unique. I’m so hyper about it, because if we don’t do it now, we’ll say two years from now, ‘Well, we should have done that.’ And then we’ll be a bit player in this deal.” - Bernie Moreno
It is very refreshing to see how welcoming both politicians and businesses are to blockchain technology and that they recognize the importance of it and how it is applicable to many industries.