Why It Matters
The Blockchain Association reported lobbying on digital assets, banking, taxation, and commodities in the third quarter. On Sept. 15, the Senate failed to invoke cloture on a motion to proceed to H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. The same day, a motion to reconsider the failed cloture vote was entered, leaving the legislation pending in the Senate as of the filing date.
By the Numbers
The association's in-house third-quarter report lists $340,000 in lobbying expenditures and was signed Oct. 20. Goldstein Policy Solutions LLC filed a separate third-quarter report reporting $50,000 in lobbying income, bringing the combined total to $390,000. That was $200,000 below the third-quarter 2025 combined total of $590,000 and $20,000 above the second-quarter combined total of $370,000.
The in-house filing names six lobbyists:
- Jeremy Epner, government relations associate; prior experience in the office of Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA).
- Lindsay Fraser, chief policy officer.
- Summer Mersinger, chief executive officer; prior Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee experience during the 113th Congress.
- Ashok Pinto, executive vice president, legal and government relations; prior Senate Commerce Committee and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee experience.
- Ellie Small, policy and legislative affairs associate; prior Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee experience.
- Jessica Martinez, senior director, government relations; prior experience in the office of Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX) and on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Broader Context
H.R. 3633 was introduced by Rep. French Hill (R-AR) on May 29, 2025, and passed the House 294-134 on July 17, 2025. The DeFi Education Fund, Coin Center, Blockchain Association, and other cryptocurrency policy organizations jointly urged Congress to include the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act in market-structure legislation, arguing that developers who do not control customer funds should not be treated as money transmitters.
The National Sheriffs' Association opposed the bill's Section 604 exemption, arguing it could impede efforts to trace victims' funds. The association cited FBI figures showing more than $20 billion in reported losses during 2025.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) introduced a discussion draft of the Ensuring Fair Access to Banking Act on Oct. 30, 2025, proposing restrictions on politically motivated debanking and the use of reputational risk in bank supervision. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced that it would stop examining regulated institutions for reputation risk, while the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said it was working toward a similar change.
The Blockchain Association submitted comments on the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposed Regulation Crypto Assets on Oct. 20, urging regulators to increase the startup exemption from $5 million to $10 million and the larger-offering limit to $150 million.
The Bottom Line
The next potential procedural step for H.R. 3633 is Senate consideration of the motion to reconsider the failed cloture vote. The association's outside lobbying roster also contracted after Zero One Strategies LLC and Forbes Tate Partners LLC filed terminations in the first quarter, leaving Goldstein Policy Solutions LLC as the only outside firm identified in the third-quarter filings.
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