IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 248
Emphasizing the importance and power of distributed ledger technologies
(DLT) to support democratic governance, human rights, internet free-
dom, and transparency.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH25, 2025
Mr. A
MO(for himself and Mrs. KIM) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
RESOLUTION
Emphasizing the importance and power of distributed ledger
technologies (DLT) to support democratic governance,
human rights, internet freedom, and transparency.
Whereas distributed ledger technologies (DLT), including
various forms of blockchain technology, offers significant
potential benefits for strengthening democratic govern-
ance, enhancing transparency, promoting human rights,
and supporting sustainability;
Whereas DLT’s ability to ensure the integrity, authentica-
tion, and verification of shared information is critical for
the effective delivery of democratic governance and serv-
ices to citizens;
Whereas DLT has been applied in diverse areas such as iden-
tity management, land rights, citizen representation,
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•HRES 248 IH
tracking of goods and services, and has shown potential
to improve government accountability, combat misin-
formation, and facilitate transparent financial trans-
actions;
Whereas DLT has the potential to enhance the resiliency of
democratic institutions against corruption, misinforma-
tion, and inefficiencies by providing a tamper-resistant
and transparent platform for the recording and
verification of transactions and data;
Whereas DLT provides an innovative solution to combat cen-
sorship and empower people around the world by ena-
bling the creation of decentralized platforms that safe-
guard free expression and access to information by rout-
ing traffic through nodes in jurisdictions with robust
legal frameworks for digital rights;
Whereas the use of DLT in securing digitized government
documents, land registration, facilitating financial trans-
fers, countering deep fakes, and advancing justice and
the rule of law demonstrates its versatility and potential
to support democratic processes and human rights;
Whereas the strategic application of DLT can also address
global challenges, contribute to sustainability, and ensure
more inclusive access to services without compromising
privacy or stifling technological innovation;
Whereas DLT solutions can enhance the integrity, trans-
parency, and efficiency of distributing aid by supporting,
for example, direct cash transfers, reducing inter-
mediaries, lowering costs, and speeding up delivery;
Whereas DLT’s decentralized design boosts the resilience of
essential systems by spreading data across multiple
nodes, which avoids single points of failure and ensures
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•HRES 248 IH
continuous service, even during targeted attacks or local
disruptions, and such resilience is crucial for keeping
data intact and available in sectors vital to democratic
governance and humanitarian aid, helping these systems
stay robust and functional under different stress condi-
tions;
Whereas the innovative applications of DLT are still in the
early stages, requiring further exploration, under-
standing, and supportive policy frameworks to fully real-
ize their potential in strengthening democracies; and
Whereas the DLT community is committed to ensuring re-
sponsible use of DLT technology and promoting the
United States national security interests: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
(1) urges the Department of State, the Devel-2
opment Finance Corporation, the United States 3
Agency for International Development, and other 4
agencies of the United States Government to explore 5
and support the development and application of dis-6
tributed ledger technologies to strengthen democratic 7
governance, promote human rights, enhance trans-8
parency, and support sustainability efforts and hu-9
manitarian aid delivery; 10
(2) encourages the promotion of the distributed 11
ledger technologies to combat censorship and ensure 12
the free flow of information as a cornerstone of de-13
mocracy and human rights, acknowledging the tech-14
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•HRES 248 IH
nology’s role in enabling citizens to access restricted 1
content and express themselves freely, thereby con-2
tributing to the global spread of democratic values 3
and the protection of freedom of speech; 4
(3) calls for deeper engagement from the 5
United States Government with technology experts, 6
civil society, and international partners to under-7
stand the opportunities presented by distributed 8
ledger technologies and its most practical applica-9
tions, ensuring its responsible and effective use; 10
(4) affirms the importance of United States 11
leadership in developing a regulatory and policy 12
framework that encourages the ethical use of distrib-13
uted ledger technologies, while promoting sustain-14
ability and addressing concerns such as accessibility 15
and the risk of misuse by malign actors; and 16
(5) encourages further research, innovation, 17
and investment in distributed ledger technologies 18
that can contribute to the public good, strengthen 19
democratic institutions, and ensure the integrity of 20
democratic processes. 21
Æ
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