Press

Dan Hersey joined Colin Crossman (State of Wyoming) and Dana Criswell (Young Americans for Liberty) for a 26-minute panel at the Bitcoin 2026 conference, moderated by Dom Bei (Proof of Workforce). The panel walks through state-level Bitcoin legislation across 40+ states, the strongest privacy and self-custody bills, and the case for and against state Bitcoin reserves — with RIBPI’s Rhode Island work as a recurring reference point.

Statehouse coverage of RIBPI's Private Key Protection bill (H.7957 / S.2196). Quotes Dan Hersey's testimony before House Innovation, Internet & Technology arguing that a private key is a master credential to assets, identities, and accounts — not a single password.

Picked up by Route Fifty / News From The States from the RI Current original. Frames the private key debate as a fourth-amendment question that other state legislatures are likely to face next session.

Reports on the introduction of H.7956 + S.2198 and notes Rhode Island is following Wyoming’s 2018 task force model. Reads the bill as a credible signal that small states are still in the game on digital asset policy.

Bitcoin Magazine’s political desk on the S.2021 reintroduction. Calls the de minimis threshold ($5,000/month, $20,000/year) the most aggressive any state has tried and notes the one-year sunset that makes it a low-risk experiment.

State Affairs Pro’s Rhode Island desk reads the bill as a deliberate business-climate move from a state ranked 46th nationally on CNBC’s 2025 business climate index. Quotes Sen. Appollonio on the cost analysis.

Side-by-side of S.2021’s thresholds against the failed federal Lummis-Gillibrand de minimis proposal and Wyoming’s narrower tax treatment. Verdict: RI’s threshold is the highest live proposal in the country.

A trade-publication readout of the bill aimed at small businesses considering Bitcoin acceptance. Flags the one-year pilot structure as the part to watch — if utilization is real, other states will follow.

A 2023 think piece arguing that Rhode Island’s small size, dense university footprint, and Boston-NYC proximity could be a competitive moat for digital asset firms. Predates RIBPI but maps the policy gaps the org has since taken on.