Missouri lawmakers have moved forward with a revived push to create a state-backed Bitcoin reserve. House Bill 2080, introduced by Rep. Ben Keathley last month, was referred to the House Commerce Committee on Feb. 19 and is now awaiting a committee hearing.
The bill would establish a “Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Fund” that the state treasurer could seed primarily with bitcoin “gifts, grants, donations, bequests, or devises” from eligible Missouri residents or governmental entities. Notably, HB 2080 also includes language permitting the treasurer to “invest, purchase, and hold cryptocurrency using state funds,” expanding the fund’s potential sources beyond donations.
Under the proposal, any bitcoin received by the state would be put into cold storage and held for a minimum of five years from the date it enters the state’s custody. After that period, the bitcoin could be transferred, sold, appropriated, or converted into another cryptocurrency. The treasurer would be authorized to contract with a qualified, independent, U.S.-based crypto firm to help build and operate the fund’s custody and security infrastructure, and would be required to produce a biennial report detailing the fund’s status.
If HB 2080 passes the Commerce Committee, it will go to the full House for debate and a majority vote before moving to the Senate for committee consideration and floor votes. The bill is effectively a successor to last year’s HB 1217, also sponsored by Keathley; the updated measure differs chiefly in its committee assignment — it now goes to the House Commerce Committee instead of the Special Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs, where the prior bill stalled and died.
Should Missouri approve the measure, it would join a small but growing group of states experimenting with state-level bitcoin reserves. Texas and New Hampshire allow direct public fund investments in their reserves, while Arizona’s program is limited to bitcoin obtained through seized and forfeited assets rather than new taxpayer allocations.
A committee hearing date for HB 2080 has not yet been announced.
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