Nevada lawmakers have sent a bill to the Governor’s office for final approval, which seeks to prohibit a local government from taxing or imposing restrictions upon the use of the blockchain technology.



Filed by Senator Ben Kieckhefer in March this year, the Nevada Senate Bill 398 aims to create a legal basis for the use of blockchain technology under state law. The bill unanimously passed both the state Senate and the House of Representatives, CoinDesk reported.



"A local governmental entity shall not: (a) Impose any tax or fee on the use of a blockchain or smart contract by any person or entity; (b) Require any person or entity to obtain from the local governmental entity any certificate, license or permit to use a blockchain or smart contract; or (c) Impose any other requirement relating to the use of a blockchain or smart contract by any person or entity."



The bill also proposes a blockchain or a smart contract to be deemed as an electronic record, noting that "if a law requires a record to be in writing, submission of a blockchain which electronically contains the record satisfies the law".



"A smart contract, record or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because a blockchain was used to create, store or verify the smart contract, record or signature," the bill states. "In a proceeding, evidence of a smart contract, record or signature must not be excluded solely because a blockchain was used to create, store or verify the smart contract, record or signature."