Arizona Governor Signs Blockchain Bill Into Law

A bill in Arizona that recognizes blockchain signatures and smart contracts has officially become state law.

The measure was first introduced in early February, seeking to enshrine signatures recorded on a blockchain and smart contracts – self-executing pieces of code – under state law. Specifically, the bill aimed to make those types of records "considered to be in an electronic format and to be an electronic record".

That effort is complete, public records show. Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed the bill on 29th March, just two days after it was sent by the state's Senate. Senators cleared the bill on the 23rd by a near-unanimous vote, after Arizona’s House of Representatives advanced the bill in late February.

As previously reported by CoinDesk, the new law focuses on any "record or contract" tied to the tech.

The text states:

"A signature that is secured through blockchain technology is considered to be in electronic form and to be an electronic signature ... A record or contract that is secured through blockchain technology is considered to be in an electronic form and to be an electronic record."

The law mirrors, in some respects, a measure passed in Vermont last year that would make blockchain data admissible in court. Like the Arizona law, the Vermont bill focused specifically on data that would be a "fact or record" tied to a blockchain.

Arizona State House image via Shutterstock