Ohio Becomes National Policy Leader for Blockchain Technology Use With its Senate Bill

By Prashant Jha

The US State of Ohio has been known for its progressive approach towards cryptocurrency and Blockchain, and it solidified that sentiment with its new Senate bill 220. The 132nd general assembly of Ohio passed Senate Bill 220, which places the state as the policy leader on the blockchain technology use cases.

Apart from the recent Senate bill, Ohio has been known for its progressive stance towards cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Only last year in November the state administration passed a law which allowed the citizens of the state to pay their taxes in Bitcoin. The move was not just limited to the paper as one of the major real estate giants operating in Ohio, Overstock has decided to pay their state taxes in Bitcoin.

Ohio has now decided to propel the use case of Blockchain to other sectors as well. The state has decided to organize it’s 12th annual Ohio Healthcare Information Technology Day (OHIT Day 2019) on April 17th, 2019. The event will see a panel discussion from the experts discussing the importance of the partnership between the public and private sector to aid the state’s healthcare system.

Richard Moore, Advocacy Chairman of the Central & Southern Ohio Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (CSOHIMSS), said:

“We have seen the use of blockchain technology for crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, but now we see potential uses of blockchain in other industries are growing rapidly. On OHIT Day 2019 we will focus on blockchain use in healthcare to teach IT, work IT and grow IT for Ohio”

Ohio Is Setting the Example to the Other States

Ohio with its pro-crypto and pro-blockchain stance leads the path and set an example for other US states to follow on its footprint. The United States as a country has maintained a median stance over the crypto use in the country. The SEC has been called out numerous times for its passive stance towards the crypto service offering businesses. Thus, the progressive nature of Ohio can set an example for other states to follow on the same path, as the Ohio State has already been testing various use cases of blockchain technology and crypto use.