Bill Text: TX HB1666 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Comm Sub

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to the commingling of funds by digital asset service providers; providing an administrative penalty.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Passed) 2023-06-09 - Effective on 9/1/23 [HB1666 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-HB1666-Comm_Sub.html
  88R19232 MLH-F
 
  By: Capriglione, et al. H.B. No. 1666
 
  Substitute the following for H.B. No. 1666:
 
  By:  VanDeaver C.S.H.B. No. 1666
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the commingling of funds by digital asset service
  providers.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subtitle E, Title 3, Finance Code, is amended by
  adding Chapter 160 to read as follows:
  CHAPTER 160. DIGITAL ASSET SERVICE PROVIDERS
         Sec. 160.001.  DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
               (1)  "Commission" means the Finance Commission of
  Texas.
               (2)  "Customer funds" means the digital assets, fiat
  currency, or other property deposited by a digital asset customer.
               (3)  "Department" means the Texas Department of
  Banking.
               (4)  "Digital asset" means a natively electronic asset
  that confers economic, proprietary, or access rights and is
  recorded or stored in a blockchain, cryptographically secured
  distributed ledger, or similar technology, and includes:
                     (A)  a digital asset that the laws of any country
  consider to be legal tender; or
                     (B)  virtual currency as defined by Section
  12.001, Business & Commerce Code.
               (5)  "Digital asset customer" means a person who
  deposits fiat currency or a digital asset with a digital asset
  service provider.
               (6)  "Digital asset service provider" means an
  electronic platform that facilitates the trading of digital assets
  on behalf of a digital asset customer and maintains custody of the
  customer's digital assets.
         Sec. 160.002.  ADMINISTRATION.  The department shall
  administer this chapter.
         Sec. 160.003.  APPLICABILITY. (a) This chapter applies to a
  digital asset service provider doing business in this state that:
               (1)  holds a money transmission license under
  Subchapter D, Chapter 151; and
               (2)  either:
                     (A)  serves more than 500 digital asset customers
  in this state; or
                     (B)  has at least $10 million in customer funds.
         (b)  This chapter does not apply to:
               (1)  a bank, as defined by Section 31.002; or
               (2)  an entity excluded by commission rule or by order
  of the banking commissioner based on a finding that the entity is:
                     (A)  not required to hold a money transmission
  license under Subchapter D, Chapter 151; or
                     (B)  not subject to the requirements of this
  chapter.
         Sec. 160.004.  DUTIES OF DIGITAL ASSET SERVICE PROVIDERS.
  (a) A digital asset service provider may not:
               (1)  commingle customer funds with funds belonging to
  the digital asset service provider, including the digital asset
  service provider's:
                     (A)  operating capital;
                     (B)  proprietary accounts;
                     (C)  digital assets;
                     (D)  fiat currency; or
                     (E)  other property that is not customer funds;
               (2)  use customer funds to secure or guarantee a
  transaction other than a transaction for the customer contributing
  the funds; or
               (3)  maintain customer funds in such a manner that a
  digital asset customer may be unable to fully withdraw the
  customer's funds.
         (b)  In addition to any other requirements under state law, a
  digital asset service provider shall maintain reserves in an amount
  sufficient to fulfill all obligations to digital asset customers.
  These reserves may be held:
               (1)  in separate accounts for obligations to each
  digital asset customer;
               (2)  in an omnibus account that only contains digital
  assets of digital asset customers and in which digital assets of
  digital asset customers are not strictly segregated from each
  other; or
               (3)  in the digital asset corresponding to the digital
  asset customer's obligations or obligations issued or guaranteed by
  a governmental entity listed in Section 2256.009, Government Code,
  as applicable.
         (c)  A digital asset service provider shall create a plan to
  allow:
               (1)  each digital asset customer to view at least
  quarterly an accounting of:
                     (A)  any outstanding liabilities owed to the
  digital asset customer; and
                     (B)  the digital asset customer's digital assets
  held in reserve by the digital asset service provider; and
               (2)  an auditor to access and view at any time the
  information made available to each digital asset customer under
  Subdivision (1).
         (d)  Not later than the 90th day after the end of each fiscal
  year, a digital asset service provider shall file a report with the
  department. The report must include:
               (1)  an attestation by the digital asset service
  provider of outstanding liability to digital asset customers;
               (2)  evidence of customer assets held by the provider;
               (3)  a copy of the provider's plan under Subsection (c);
  and
               (4)  an attestation by an auditor that the information
  in the report is true and accurate.
         (e)  An auditor fulfilling the requirements of this section
  must:
               (1)  be an independent certified public accountant
  licensed in the United States; and
               (2)  apply attestation standards adopted by the
  American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
         Sec. 160.005.  REQUIREMENTS FOR MONEY TRANSMISSION LICENSE.
  (a) In addition to any other requirements under Subchapter D,
  Chapter 151, a digital asset service provider must comply with the
  requirements of this chapter to obtain and maintain any money
  transmission license under Subchapter D, Chapter 151.
         (b)  The department may suspend and revoke a money
  transmission license issued under Subchapter D, Chapter 151, to a
  digital asset service provider if the provider violates the
  requirements of this chapter.
         Sec. 160.006.  RULES. The commission may adopt rules to
  administer and enforce this chapter, including rules necessary and
  appropriate to implement and clarify this chapter.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
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