Research
Fiscal analyses, executive summaries, and policy briefs RIBPI has written for the 2026 Rhode Island session and adjacent federal questions. Every claim is sourced.
Fiscal analyses, executive summaries, and policy briefs RIBPI has written for the 2026 Rhode Island session and adjacent federal questions. Every claim is sourced.
Two pages for committee members. Why the de minimis exemption matters, what it does ($5,000/month, $20,000/year), and what it costs (less than 0.04% of general revenue).
$500K–$2.5M annual cost (0.01–0.04% of general revenue). Methodology shows the assumptions, sensitivity tests, and JPMorgan Chase Institute data behind the range. The cheapest national policy win available to Rhode Island.
Wyoming’s blockchain task force passed in 2018 and the state has since enacted more than 50 laws and attracted Kraken’s bank subsidiary. Rhode Island is starting that work seven years late but can move quickly. Two-page committee primer.
Commission operating cost is roughly $25K–$40K for the duration (mostly staff time, no per diem). Models comparable state commissions (Wyoming, Virginia, Illinois, Mississippi, Colorado) and the policy outcomes each generated.
Only Wyoming and Nebraska currently offer Special Purpose Depository Institution charters. Both states have used SPDIs plus regulatory sandboxes to pull fintech firms in. Rhode Island can become the third.
SPDI charter fees and exam fees offset startup costs after year two. Wyoming’s SPDI program has been net revenue-positive since 2021. Bill includes a fee schedule that mirrors Wyoming’s.
Rhode Island would become the fifth state with a DAO LLC framework (after Wyoming, Vermont, Tennessee, Utah). Concept is sound; the bill needs definitions of “DAO” and “smart contract”, a fix for the duplicated section 7-17-7, sandbox parameters, and an implementation runway for DBR. Redline amendment language included.
A private key is not a password to one account; it’s a master credential to assets, identities, and accounts at once. Forcing disclosure of a private key when a public key suffices is like demanding a deed when a court only needs a mailing address. Modeled on Wyoming’s 2023 law (Senate 31–0, House 41–13).
Implementation cost is effectively zero (no new agency, no new IT system, no licensing). Includes side-by-side of Wyoming’s 2023 law and a Q&A on the law-enforcement edge cases.
52.4% sustainable energy (42.6% renewables plus 9.8% nuclear). Mining uses roughly 0.7–0.8% of global electricity. Primary source: Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, Digital Mining Industry Report (April 2025).
A Bitcoin is divisible to eight decimal places. The median U.S. holder owns less than 0.01 BTC. Addresses the most common objection RIBPI hears from constituents: “it’s too late to buy a whole one.”
What Granite County (MT) and Williston (ND) did with stranded gas. Models a Rhode Island co-located demand-response pilot that the state’s grid operator could use to monetize curtailed offshore wind. Job-creation numbers cited.
Texas, New Hampshire, and Arizona have passed reserve laws; the federal Strategic Bitcoin Reserve was established by executive order in March 2025. Lays out custody, allocation cap, and accounting treatment for a Rhode Island-scale pilot.
Wyoming’s sandbox produced Kraken Bank. Utah’s produced Avenue. Rhode Island has DBR already licensing virtual currency businesses; H.7413 adds the missing sandbox plus SPDI charter. Compares the four state sandbox statutes side-by-side.
A central bank digital currency would let whichever party holds the executive branch freeze any citizen’s account programmatically. RIBPI argues states have a duty to preempt at the property-rights level. Outlines the state legislative tools available.
Canadian truckers, Nigerian protesters, Operation Choke Point 2.0. Bitcoin is not a tool for crime; it is a check on debanking. Cites Chainalysis 2024 (0.34% of on-chain volume linked to illicit activity).
Wyoming, Texas, and North Carolina have piloted Bitcoin curricula at the high school and community college level. Lays out a Rhode Island elective course pathway and the curriculum standards it would meet.
The post-1971 dollar settlement is breaking down. A one-page brief making the case that Bitcoin should be part of the next monetary architecture, prepared for federal policymakers.
The slide deck behind the one-pager. Charts the home-price-to-income ratio (3.1× in 1985 to 5.1× in 2025), real wage stagnation, and the case for a neutral reserve asset.
The handout RIBPI leaves with legislators after an introductory briefing. Two pages, no jargon, lists the bills in the current session and the source citations behind every number.
If you’re a Rhode Island legislator, staffer, or journalist and want a session-by-session walkthrough of the 2026 bills, email Dan directly. Most briefings take 25 minutes.
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