A Congressional group focused on blockchain is working to advance security standards for applications of the tech.

In a new podcast launched in the past week by Rep. Pat Tiberi, chair of the House Joint Economic Committee, Congressional Blockchain Caucus co-chair David Schweikert disclosed that the group is working with institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to explore possible standards approaches.

Among the specific applications that would come into play, Schweikert told Tiberi, including putting medical records on the blockchain, claiming “we may have just done this.”

The Congressional Blockchain Caucus is a group which seeks to advance the tech within the US legislature, as well as push for possible public-sector applications. The caucus, which is co-led by Rep. Jared Polis, was launched last September.

More broadly, Schweikert spoke to the group’s role in advocating for blockchain within the public sphere.

He said during the podcast:

“It is our job as members of Congress…to embrace and in some ways evangelize what these things could mean for economic growth and society.”

Schweikert went on to argue that blockchain is one of the “elegant ideas” that can make “society so much more efficient.”

You can listen to the podcast here.

US Capitol image via Shutterstock