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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1622 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1622
Emphasizing the importance and power of distributed ledger technologies
(DLT) to support democratic governance, human rights, internet freedom,
and transparency.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 19, 2024
Mr. Amo (for himself and Mrs. Kim of California) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Emphasizing the importance and power of distributed ledger technologies
(DLT) to support democratic governance, human rights, internet freedom,
and transparency.
Whereas distributed ledger technologies (DLT), including various forms of
blockchain technology, offers significant potential benefits for
strengthening democratic governance, enhancing transparency, promoting
human rights, and supporting sustainability;
Whereas DLT's ability to ensure the integrity, authentication, and verification
of shared information is critical for the effective delivery of
democratic governance and services to citizens;
Whereas DLT has been applied in diverse areas such as identity management, land
rights, citizen representation, tracking of goods and services, and has
shown potential to improve government accountability, combat
misinformation, and facilitate transparent financial transactions;
Whereas DLT has the potential to enhance the resiliency of democratic
institutions against corruption, misinformation, and inefficiencies by
providing a tamper-resistant and transparent platform for the recording
and verification of transactions and data;
Whereas DLT provides an innovative solution to combat censorship and empower
people around the world by enabling the creation of decentralized
platforms that safeguard free expression and access to information by
routing traffic through nodes in jurisdictions with robust legal
frameworks for digital rights;
Whereas the use of DLT in securing digitized government documents, land
registration, facilitating financial transfers, countering deep fakes,
and advancing justice and the rule of law demonstrates its versatility
and potential to support democratic processes and human rights;
Whereas the strategic application of DLT can also address global challenges,
contribute to sustainability, and ensure more inclusive access to
services without compromising privacy or stifling technological
innovation;
Whereas DLT solutions can enhance the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of
distributing aid by supporting, for example, direct cash transfers,
reducing intermediaries, lowering costs, and speeding up delivery;
Whereas DLT's decentralized design boosts the resilience of essential systems by
spreading data across multiple nodes, which avoids single points of
failure and ensures continuous service, even during targeted attacks or
local disruptions, and such resilience is crucial for keeping data
intact and available in sectors vital to democratic governance and
humanitarian aid, helping these systems stay robust and functional under
different stress conditions;
Whereas the innovative applications of DLT are still in the early stages,
requiring further exploration, understanding, and supportive policy
frameworks to fully realize their potential in strengthening
democracies; and
Whereas the DLT community is committed to ensuring responsible use of DLT
technology and promoting the United States national security interests:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the Department of State, the Development Finance
Corporation, the United States Agency for International
Development, and other agencies of the United States Government
to explore and support the development and application of
distributed ledger technologies to strengthen democratic
governance, promote human rights, enhance transparency, and
support sustainability efforts and humanitarian aid delivery;
(2) encourages the promotion of the distributed ledger
technologies to combat censorship and ensure the free flow of
information as a cornerstone of democracy and human rights,
acknowledging the technology's role in enabling citizens to
access restricted content and express themselves freely,
thereby contributing to the global spread of democratic values
and the protection of freedom of speech;
(3) calls for deeper engagement from the United States
Government with technology experts, civil society, and
international partners to understand the opportunities
presented by distributed ledger technologies and its most
practical applications, ensuring its responsible and effective
use;
(4) affirms the importance of United States leadership in
developing a regulatory and policy framework that encourages
the ethical use of distributed ledger technologies, while
promoting sustainability and addressing concerns such as
accessibility and the risk of misuse by malign actors; and
(5) encourages further research, innovation, and investment
in distributed ledger technologies that can contribute to the
public good, strengthen democratic institutions, and ensure the
integrity of democratic processes.
<all>
Submitted in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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