Crypto
Lawmakers want Indiana to become a crypto leader. That may start with retirement funds
How Indiana’s redistricting could impact the legislative session
Statehouse reporter Kayla Dwyer breaks down tensions between Indiana and the Trump administration regarding the state’s redistricting efforts.
Indiana lawmakers are hoping to make the state a cryptocurrency leader by allowing the state to invest in digital currencies like Bitcoin for state savings and retirement plans while prohibiting local communities from restricting crypto companies.
The legislation, House Bill 1042, comes as excitement grows over the once obscure digital assets that have made millionaires and wiped-out fortunes. Its supporters now include some of the country’s most powerful people, including President Donald Trump and initially hesitant financial institutions, while the first major piece of crypto legislation passed Congress earlier this year.
Now, Indiana is looking for a slice of the windfall. The topic was one of just a few to get an earlier-than-usual hearing as lawmakers consider redistricting, signaling it’s a major topic of interest among Republicans.
“Crypto policy will become a mainstay of this committee’s work for probably years to come,” said bill author Kyle Pierce, R-Anderson, at a House Financial Institutions Committee meeting Dec. 4.
A volatile investment?
Though the bill would allow public investment funds to delve into the world of digital currency, it stops short of allowing direct crypto investments.
Instead, the bill applies to cryptocurrency exchange traded funds, or EFTs — a safer, federally regulated fund that tracks crypto prices, either by holding the digital assets or a contract that speculates on prices in the future.
The state investment programs required to provide such options include the 529 education savings plan and certain retirement funds for teachers, public employees and lawmakers. It also allows other state investment funds to place their assets in crypto EFTs.
While less volatile than a direct investment, it’s not entirely without risk. Because there is less oversight in the underlying crypto market, the Securities and Exchange Commission has warned it’s difficult to prevent fraud and ensure fairness, even for EFT investors.
That was a tentative concern for Tony Green, deputy executive director of the Indiana Public Retirement System, at the House Financial Institutions Committee hearing Dec. 4.
Though neutral on the bill, Green said IPRS would want to ensure there were proper disclaimers about volatility. And while the agency wants to offer choices to their members, he said, those surveyed were generally uninterested.
No anti-crypto regulations
Another aspect of the bill limits how local governments and state agencies can regulate crypto, though Pierce said it’s only intended to ensure laws don’t unfairly target crypto.
Specifically, it would prohibit regulation of an individual or a business’ ability to accept digital currency as payment, including by taxing use of the payment method. It also stops local governments from denying crypto mining facilities in areas zoned for industrial use or applying noise restrictions specific to crypto.
There was some worry about a clause in the bill that bans a public agency from prohibiting a person’s ability to “use or accept digital assets as a method of payment for legal goods and services.”
The bill was welcomed by the founder of the local crypto mining business Megawatt.
Ilya Rekhter, who operates mining facilities in rural areas across the state, said the legislation would help prevent a sudden change in zoning laws after a business has already invested money in a facility, Rekhter said.
“We’re not asking for any special treatment,” he said, “just the same treatment.”
The committee won’t hold a vote on the bill until January.
Contact breaking politics reporter Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.com or follow her on X @marissa_meador.
MADISON, WI (WTAQ) — A new bipartisan bill is the state legislature is attempting to keep Wisconsinites safe from scammers.
Assembly Bill 968 creates consumer protections around cryptocurrency kiosks—and is aimed at stopping criminals from using crypto-kiosks to steal from victims. It was passed by the assembly last month and is now heading to the senate.
Americans lost over $330 million to scams involving crypto-kiosks in 2025.
As amended; the bill that passed the assembly would:
- set daily transaction limits at $1,000
- require cryptocurrency-kiosk operators to provide users with receipts
- implement consumer-identification measures for every transaction
- allow scam victims to receive refunds
“This also requires crypto-kiosk operators to be licensed as a money transmitter with the Department of Financial Institutions,” said bill co-author Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah). “Right now there is no state statute with regards to these crypto machines, and there has to be some oversight.”
Over 700 cryptocurrency kiosks are located in convenience stores, gas stations, restaurants, and other locations throughout Wisconsin.
Detective Kevin Bahl with the Green Bay Police Department says although these scams don’t discriminate, scammers usually target the senior population.
“That’s because they’re the ones with more of the built up funds; that they can lose a significant of money, but we have seen a lot of younger victims too,” said Det. Bahl. “Victims are losing anywhere between a couple thousand dollars, all the way up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
The senate will reconvene beginning the second week of March, where Rep. Kaufert believes they will pass Senate Bill 975. Then the bill will go to the governor for approval by April 1. If approved, the law would likely go into effect around June.
Retail investors are reportedly leaving the cryptocurrency sector, robbing the industry of a dependable driver.
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