Florida lawmakers introduce bill to establish blockchain task force

Lawmakers in the U.S. state of Florida have introduced a bill that seeks to establish a blockchain task force.

The Florida House Bill 735 was filed on February 11, 2019, and aims to establish the Florida Blockchain Task Force in the Department of Financial Services.

“Blockchain technology is a promising way to facilitate more efficient government service delivery models and economies of scale, including facilitating safe paperless transactions and recordkeeping that are nearly impervious to cyberattacks and data destruction,” the bill states.

It added that the technology could help reduce the prevalence of disparate government computer systems, databases, and custom-built software interfaces; reduce costs associated with maintenance and implementation; streamline information sharing; and allow more areas of the state to electronically participate in government services.

The task force will comprise of representatives from government and industry and focus on exploring the ways in which state, county, and municipal governments can benefit from transitioning to a blockchain-based system for recordkeeping, security, and service delivery.

In particular, the task force will identify the economic growth and development opportunities presented by blockchain technology, assess the existing blockchain industry in the state, identify innovative and successful blockchain applications currently used by industry and other governments, and review academic and workforce needs to build blockchain expertise across all industries.

On these lines, it would be required to develop and submit recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.