Mississippi State Senate Passes Bill Defending Crypto Miners’ Rights

Mississippi’s state Senate has passed a bill to protect cryptoasset miners from being discriminated against on electricity rates.

According to a report by Cointelegraph, the state Senate has passed the Mississippi Digital Asset Mining Act, which now awaits its companion bill to make it through the state’s House of Representatives.

The bill, authored by state Senator Josh Harkins, will legalize home-based crypto mining and the operation of mining businesses in areas that have been designated for industrial use. In particular, the bill seeks to protect miners’ rights in a state that is known for some of the lowest electricity rates in the country and to clear the way for what it calls “regulatory challenges at the state and local level.”

In a bid for miner’s rights, the bill prohibits the state’s chief utility regulator, the Public Service Commission, from imposing “discriminatory rates” on mining businesses, while also exempting homes and business miners from money transmitter status. In addition, the bill helps clarify the state’s legal definition of “virtual currency.”

Dennis Porter, Co-Founder and CEO of Bitcoin mining advocacy organization Satoshi Action Fund, noted the “historic step” being taken by Mississippi legislators towards cryptoasset mining. The Fund, which has been active in Mississippi, operates to advocate for Bitcoin mining and protections for cryptoasset miners and businesses.

On 25 January 2023, Porter tweeted about his presentation — on the benefits of Bitcoin mining — to Capitol Hill staffers at a Senate Finance Committee hearing room.

And then, less than an hour later, Porter offered this piece of good news:

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