Senate Weighs Clarity Act Changes at Key Markup Session

TLDR

• The Senate Banking Committee will review dozens of amendments to the Clarity Act during a scheduled markup session.
• Most proposed amendments face limited chances of approval as the Republican majority prepares to advance the bill.
• Senator Jack Reed seeks to restrict stablecoin yields and remove developer protections from the current draft.
• Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto has proposed a safe harbor to shield software developers from money transmitter liability.
• Senator Chris Van Hollen wants to bar senior government officials from owning or promoting digital asset businesses.
• Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced amendments targeting banking ethics and presidential ownership interests.

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The Senate Banking Committee will review dozens of amendments to a major crypto market bill this week. Lawmakers will debate changes to the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act during a scheduled markup session. However, most proposals face long odds as the Republican majority prepares to move the bill forward.

Clarity Act amendments target ethics rules and developer protections

Lawmakers filed a wide range of proposals ahead of Thursday’s markup session. The amendments address ethics rules, stablecoin yields, and protections for blockchain developers.

Senator Jack Reed submitted 18 amendments, including one to restrict stablecoin yields. He also seeks to remove the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act from the bill. That section shields software developers from money transmitter rules when they do not control customer funds. Senator Catherine Cortez-Masto proposed a safe harbor to protect developers from criminal liability for failing to register as money transmitters.

Senator Chris Van Hollen introduced eight amendments focused on ethics standards. One measure would ban the president and senior officials from owning or promoting digital asset businesses. Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed to “prohibit political corruption in banking applications and presidential bank ownership.” Her proposal appears to target World Liberty Financial, which has ties to President Donald Trump and his family.

Warren also offered amendments that would cap credit card interest rates and request bank records tied to Jeffrey Epstein. The bill includes housing provisions backed by Senator John Kennedy, which fall outside crypto policy.

Lawmakers prepare for vote on the Clarity Act

Committee members will debate each amendment and hold votes unless sponsors withdraw them. A simple majority will decide whether to adopt or reject each proposal.

Senator Mark Warner proposed a control test for certain decentralized finance platforms. His amendment would determine when operators must comply with Bank Secrecy Act anti-money laundering rules. Meanwhile, Senator Bill Hagerty seeks to ban U.S. Federal Reserve central bank digital currencies.

Republican leaders have planned the markup process in advance. The committee previously considered about 75 amendments before postponing an earlier hearing.

Negotiators spent four months resolving disputes before this week’s session. Once approved, lawmakers can merge the bill with a version that cleared the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Democrats continue to press for conflict-of-interest rules tied to government officials and crypto businesses. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has said the bill will not pass the Senate without that provision.

The bill must secure at least 60 votes to clear the Senate. It would then return to the House, which passed a similar version last year.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong wrote on X that the bill is “strong.” He said it “will benefit the American people by making the US financial system faster, cheaper and more accessible.”

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