U.S. Lawmakers to Discuss Cryptocurrency Market Structure Bill Amendments

According to Cointelegraph, U.S. lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee are set to convene for a markup hearing on Tuesday to deliberate on a cryptocurrency market structure bill. This bill, known as the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 or the CLARITY Act, may be amended to incorporate protections for blockchain developers. Committee chair French Hill has introduced an amendment focusing on the treatment of certain non-controlling blockchain developers. The amendment suggests that under the proposed market structure law, specific blockchain developers or service providers would not be classified as money transmitters, thus exempting them from registration requirements. The provision for blockchain developers seems to have originated from the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, a piece of legislation led by Representative Tom Emmer and a bipartisan group of lawmakers in May. Various crypto advocacy groups, including the Blockchain Association, have urged lawmakers to merge the two bills. The Tuesday markup hearing will feature a significant discussion and vote on amendments to the CLARITY Act, potentially advancing the bill to the full chamber. Meanwhile, in the Senate, lawmakers are anticipated to vote soon on the GENIUS Act, which aims to regulate payment stablecoins. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has expressed his desire to finalize the bill within the week. Representative Maxine Waters, the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, has voiced skepticism regarding the CLARITY Act, indicating that she and other Democrats may not support the bill. Waters organized a Minority Day hearing on Friday to address allegations of corruption linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's connections to the crypto industry. She criticized the CLARITY Act, stating, "Not a single provision within [the CLARITY Act] addresses the crimes I’ve laid out. In fact, this bill only legitimizes it." Despite this, at least one Democratic representative, Ritchie Torres, who has previously advocated for legislation affecting the crypto industry, has suggested he will support the market structure bill. Torres is a co-sponsor of both the CLARITY Act and the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act. Cointelegraph reached out to a representative for Torres but had not received a response at the time of publication.