Senate Advances Crypto Market Structure Bill Amidst Partisan Disagreements
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., has expressed optimism about reaching a Senate agreement on a cryptocurrency market structure bill this year. This comes after the committee advanced its version of the bill, despite Democrats withdrawing their support. The bill aims to establish a national regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency industry under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The next step involves the Senate Banking Committee, which postponed its hearing on the bill due to opposition from the crypto industry. Previously, Boozman collaborated with Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., on a draft bill, but Booker distanced himself from the current version, citing differences from the bipartisan version proposed in November. During a recent hearing, Democrats proposed amendments to address concerns such as banning public officials from engaging in the crypto industry and preventing scams linked to crypto ATMs, but these were not approved. 
