New Hampshire House passes Bitcoin reserve bill in close vote
New Hampshire’s Bitcoin reserve bill has passed the state’s House, making it the fourth state to advance such legislation through one chamber.
On April 10, the New Hampshire House voted 192-179 in favour of House Bill 302 after it cleared the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee with a 16-1 vote in early March.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it will face further debate before potentially landing on Governor Kelly Ayotte’s desk for final approval.
If signed into law, HB302 would authorize the state treasurer to allocate up to 10% of New Hampshire’s general fund, revenue stabilization fund, or any other legislatively approved funds into certain digital assets and precious metals, including gold, silver, and platinum.
To qualify for inclusion in the reserve, a cryptocurrency must have maintained an average market capitalization of at least $500 billion over the previous calendar year, a threshold currently met only by Bitcoin.
During the session debate, supporters of the bill argued that it could open new avenues for revenue generation and financial diversification. According to Republican Representative Jordan Ulery, the measure presented the “potential for a large amount of money being earned by the state” through strategic investments in high-value assets like Bitcoin.
State legislators are also reviewing two other blockchain-focused proposals, HB310, which addresses stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization, and HB639, which outlines broader blockchain regulations and dispute resolution mechanisms.
New Hampshire joins Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma as the fourth state to see a Bitcoin reserve bill clear one chamber of its legislature.
According to data from Bitcoin Laws, 47 strategic Bitcoin reserve bills have been introduced across 26 states. Two Arizona bills are currently leading in terms of regulatory progress.
In related news, on the same day, Florida’s House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee unanimously advanced its Bitcoin reserve bill, HB487, which would authorize the state’s Chief Financial Officer to invest up to 10% of certain public funds.
