According to BlockBeats, on January 17, the leaders of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee expressed concerns in a letter to the Senate Banking Committee regarding the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act. They argued that the act could undermine federal regulations on money transfers and should not be included in cryptocurrency market structure legislation.
Republican Chairman Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senator Dick Durbin highlighted that Section 604 of the Banking Committee's market structure bill, which aims to protect software developers from criminal liability for third-party misuse of their products, would weaken federal laws on unlicensed money transfer businesses. They noted that the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over Title 18 of the U.S. Code, was not consulted or given the opportunity to review the proposed changes in advance.
The letter referenced the Department of Justice's case against Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm, emphasizing the importance of current regulations in holding parties accountable for unlicensed money transfer activities. This letter represents another challenge to the market structure bill, as the Senate Banking Committee had planned to debate and vote on the bill on Thursday, but the agenda was canceled on Wednesday night due to growing opposition.
If the provision remains in the bill, the Judiciary Committee, responsible for legal matters, would need to sign off on the overall proposal as a third committee. This latest controversy suggests that the legislative process may become more complex. DeFi advocates have warned that they might withdraw support if these specific protective provisions are not included, indicating another potential stalemate.
The letter urged the committee to reject any proposed provisions, including Section 604, that could weaken the government's ability to hold parties accountable for unlicensed money transfer activities.