On June 20th, John deVadoss, head of NGD Seattle, participated in a Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) Cascadia Blockchain Council panel alongside other Washington-based members of the blockchain industry. The event was held to discuss SB 5638, aiming to detail “what the bill means for blockchain in the region and what comes next from the people that helped get this bill passed.”

SB 5638, known locally as the “blockchain bill,” which was passed in April 2019 by Jay Inslee, the Governor of Washington. The bill “recognizes the validity of distributed ledger technology, encourages the development of blockchain, recognizes its use in commerce and digital signatures, and amends legislation to provide definitions for the technology.”

deVadoss and the WTIA played a key role in the development of the bill from the early stages, influencing the language, as well as the policy statements.

In a brief conversation with NEO News Today, deVadoss stated, “with NEO joining the WTIA Cascadia Blockchain Council and [being] on the Steering Committee, we are now laying the foundation for a prioritized focus on standards and interoperability.”

The Council panel included Arry Yu, chair of WTIA Cascadia Blockchain Council, Ian Griswold, manager of government affairs at WTIA, and deVadoss. The moderator of the panel was Jonel Cordero, VP of operations at Dragonchain.

Looking forward, NGD Seattle seeks to be actively engaged in welcoming other large players into the Cascadia Blockchain Council, both in the technology sector and blockchain space.

More WTIA events can be found at the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/o/washington-technology-industry-association-7662785633