Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1568
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì652444'Î652444                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                   Comm: RS            .                                
                  02/04/2026           .                                
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       The Committee on Banking and Insurance (DiCeglie) recommended
       the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Section 17.72, Florida Statutes, is created to
    6  read:
    7         17.72 Florida Stablecoin Pilot Program.—There is
    8  established within the Department of Financial Services the
    9  Florida Stablecoin Pilot Program. It is the intent of the
   10  Legislature that the Florida Stablecoin Pilot Program yield
   11  benefits from the acceptance of payment stablecoins as a form of
   12  payment for governmental fees through this voluntary pilot
   13  program.
   14         (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
   15         (a) “Compatible digital wallet address” means the address
   16  of a software application that securely stores private keys for
   17  accessing and completing transactions with payment stablecoins.
   18         (b) “Digital asset” means any digital representation of
   19  value that is recorded on a cryptographically secured digital
   20  ledger.
   21         (c)“Exchange platform” means a company licensed and
   22  regulated by the federal or a state government which provides
   23  trading, custody, or money transmission services of payment
   24  stablecoins or other digital assets.
   25         (d) “Federal qualified payment stablecoin issuer” means any
   26  of the following:
   27         1. A nonbank entity, other than a state qualified payment
   28  stablecoin issuer, approved by the Office of the Comptroller of
   29  the Currency to issue payment stablecoins.
   30         2. An uninsured national bank that is chartered by the
   31  Office of the Comptroller of the Currency pursuant to title LXII
   32  of the Revised Statutes and is approved to issue payment
   33  stablecoins. As used in this subsection, the term “national
   34  bank” has the same meaning as in the GENIUS Act, Pub. L. No.
   35  119-27.
   36         3. A Federal branch that is approved by the Office of the
   37  Comptroller of the Currency to issue payment stablecoins. For
   38  purposes of this subparagraph, the term “Federal branch” has the
   39  same meaning as in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance
   40  Act, 12 U.S.C. s. 1813.
   41         (e)1. “Payment stablecoin” means a digital asset that meets
   42  all of the following requirements:
   43         a.Is, or is designed to be, used as a means of payment or
   44  settlement.
   45         b. The issuer of which:
   46         (I) Is obligated to convert, redeem, or repurchase the
   47  digital asset for a fixed amount of monetary value, not
   48  including a digital asset denominated in a fixed amount of
   49  monetary value.
   50         (II) Represents that such issuer will maintain, or create
   51  the reasonable expectation that it will maintain, a stable value
   52  relative to the value of a fixed amount of monetary value.
   53         2.The term does not include a digital asset that is any of
   54  the following:
   55         a. A national currency.
   56         b. A deposit as defined in section 3 of the Federal Deposit
   57  Insurance Act, 12 U.S.C. s. 1813, including a deposit recorded
   58  using distributed ledger technology. For purposes of this
   59  subparagraph, the term “distributed ledger” has the same meaning
   60  as in the GENIUS Act, Pub. L. No. 119-27.
   61         c. A security, as defined in s. 517.021, section 2 of the
   62  Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. s. 77b, section 3 of the
   63  Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. s. 78c, or
   64  section 2 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, 15 U.S.C. s.
   65  80a-2.
   66         (f)“Permitted payment stablecoin issuer” means a person
   67  formed in the United States that is one of the following:
   68         1.A subsidiary of an insured depository institution that
   69  has been approved to issue payment stablecoins under the GENIUS
   70  Act, Pub. L. No. 119-27. For purposes of this subparagraph, the
   71  term “insured depository institution” has the same meaning as in
   72  the GENIUS Act, Pub. L. No. 119-27.
   73         2. A federal qualified payment stablecoin issuer.
   74         3. A state qualified payment stablecoin issuer.
   75         (g)“State qualified payment stablecoin issuer” means an
   76  entity legally established under the laws of a state and
   77  approved by the Office of Financial Regulation to issue payment
   78  stablecoins.
   79         (2)PROGRAM PARTICIPATION.—
   80         (a) The department may engage in any of the following
   81  activities that meet the requirements of this section:
   82         1. Accept payment stablecoin for the payment of authorized
   83  fees as provided in paragraph (c).
   84         2. Hold payment stablecoin and, unless exempted by law, the
   85  custody of such payment stablecoin must be held in a qualified
   86  public depository pursuant to chapter 280.
   87         3. Issue refunds, reimbursements, or other similar
   88  disbursements in the form of payment stablecoins to any
   89  participant who elects to receive a payment in such form.
   90         (b) The department may designate one or more payment
   91  stablecoin for activities authorized in paragraph (a). Any
   92  payment stablecoin that is accepted, held, or disbursed by the
   93  department pursuant to this section must meet all of the
   94  following criteria:
   95         1. Have an average market capitalization of at least $1
   96  billion during the preceding 24-month period.
   97         2.Be redeemable at all times for United States dollars
   98  through the permitted payment stablecoin issuer or its agent.
   99         3.Be minted by a permitted payment stablecoin issuer.
  100         4. Be purchased by the department directly from a permitted
  101  payment stablecoin issuer or indirectly through an exchange
  102  platform, or received by the department from a program
  103  participant.
  104         5.If the permitted payment stablecoin issuer or exchange
  105  fees are paid by the department, be subject to reasonable
  106  permitted payment stablecoin issuer or exchange platform fees,
  107  including, but not limited to, minting, purchasing, selling,
  108  transacting, converting, withdrawing, payment processing, or gas
  109  fees, which are consistent with industry standards. Such fees
  110  must not exceed the fees that would be charged to the department
  111  if payment were accepted by credit card or wire transfer.
  112         6.Be issued by an issuer that meets the criteria for a
  113  permitted payment stablecoin issuer under the applicable federal
  114  or state law.
  115         (c) The department may accept payment stablecoins as a form
  116  of payment for fees that include, but are not limited to,
  117  licensing fees, registration fees, certification fees,
  118  assessment fees, application fees, renewal fees, other
  119  regulatory fees administered by the department, or any other fee
  120  owed to the department.
  121         (d)An applicant, a licensee, or other program participant
  122  may elect to voluntarily participate in the pilot program and
  123  remit payment stablecoins to a compatible digital wallet address
  124  designated by the department as a valid form of payment for any
  125  fee authorized in paragraph (c). A participant that elects to
  126  receive from the department a refund, reimbursement, or other
  127  similar disbursement in the form of payment stablecoin must
  128  provide the department with a compatible digital wallet address
  129  where such payment may be sent.
  130         (3)DEPARTMENT DUTIES.—
  131         (a) The department must comply with all of the following
  132  requirements:
  133         1.Ensure that any payment stablecoin issuer designated for
  134  use in the pilot program is a permitted payment stablecoin
  135  issuer.
  136         2. Provide a compatible digital wallet address to any
  137  participant that elects to participate in the voluntary pilot
  138  program for the payment of any fees authorized in paragraph
  139  (2)(c) to be paid in the form of payment stablecoins.
  140         3.Upon receipt of payment stablecoin, if such stablecoin
  141  is not being held by a qualified public depository as defined in
  142  s. 280.02 and is not exempted from being held in a qualified
  143  public depository as provided in s. 280.03, immediately convert
  144  the payment stablecoin received from any participant into United
  145  States currency and credit the applicable account where the
  146  funds would be held in a qualified public depository in the same
  147  manner as a payment made by any other authorized means. The
  148  department is required to attempt to minimize the amount of
  149  potential fees when determining on what date and time to convert
  150  the payment stablecoin.
  151         (b) The department may conduct examinations, audits, or
  152  investigations of a permitted payment stablecoin issuer of a
  153  payment stablecoin designated for use in the pilot program to
  154  verify asset backing, redeemability, and adherence to consumer
  155  protection standards, including standards related to fraud
  156  prevention and dispute resolution. To the extent that the
  157  department intends to engage in such conduct as to a state
  158  qualified payment stablecoin issuer, the department must
  159  coordinate with the Office of Financial Regulation to avoid
  160  duplicated efforts and to efficiently regulate such issuer.
  161         (4) REPORTING.—
  162         (a) The department shall monitor and evaluate the pilot
  163  program and collect data on transaction volume, cost savings,
  164  security incidents, regulatory compliance, and economic impacts,
  165  as well as any instances of fraud or disputes.
  166         (b) Beginning February 1, 2027, and annually thereafter,
  167  the department must submit a report to the Governor, the
  168  President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of
  169  Representatives which must include all of the following:
  170         1. A summary of the data collected pursuant to paragraph
  171  (a).
  172         2. Any findings the department makes with respect to the
  173  pilot program which include, but are not limited to, findings
  174  regarding any trends or patterns relating to financial matters,
  175  such as fiscal impacts, or nonfinancial matters, such as
  176  utilization analysis.
  177         3. Any recommendations for expansion or termination of the
  178  pilot program.
  179         4. Any proposed statutory changes, if appropriate.
  180         (5)CONSTRUCTION.—This section does not alter or supersede
  181  any existing statutory fee obligations, licensing requirements,
  182  or enforcement authority of the department. Acceptance of
  183  payment stablecoins is an optional payment method and does not
  184  require or authorize the acceptance of any other digital asset.
  185         (6)RULEMAKING.—The department may adopt rules to implement
  186  this section.
  187         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.
  188  
  189  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
  190  And the title is amended as follows:
  191         Delete everything before the enacting clause
  192  and insert:
  193                        A bill to be entitled                      
  194         An act relating to the Florida Stablecoin Pilot
  195         Program; creating s. 17.72, F.S.; establishing the
  196         Florida Stablecoin Pilot Program within the Department
  197         of Financial Services; providing legislative intent;
  198         defining terms; authorizing the department to engage
  199         in certain activities; authorizing the department to
  200         designate one or more payment stablecoin for certain
  201         activities; requiring certain payment stablecoin meet
  202         certain criteria; authorizing the department to accept
  203         payment stablecoins; authorizing program participants
  204         to elect to voluntarily participate in the program and
  205         remit payment stablecoins to a compatible digital
  206         wallet address; requiring certain participants to
  207         provide the department with a compatible digital
  208         wallet address; requiring the department to comply
  209         with certain requirements; requiring the department to
  210         provide a compatible digital wallet address for a
  211         specified purpose; authorizing the department to
  212         conduct examinations, audits, and investigations of
  213         permitted payment stablecoin issuers; requiring the
  214         department to coordinate with the Office of Financial
  215         Regulation under certain circumstances; requiring the
  216         department to monitor and evaluate the pilot program
  217         and collect certain data; requiring the department to
  218         submit an annual report containing certain information
  219         to the Governor and the Legislature, beginning on a
  220         specified date and annually thereafter; providing
  221         construction; authorizing the department to adopt
  222         rules; providing an effective date.