Key provisions after HB639 completed enrollment
New Hampshire House Bill HB639 completed its enrollment process on July 1. According to the bill text, neither the state nor local governments may restrict an individual from using digital assets as payment, and they may not restrict self-custody of assets through a self-hosted wallet. The bill also states that governments may not impose additional taxes solely because digital assets are being used. Taken together, these provisions define a clearer legal boundary around payment use cases, wallet self-custody, and tax treatment at the state level.
Licensing and securities treatment for blockchain operations
HB639 also addresses blockchain infrastructure and network participation. Under the bill, individuals or businesses that operate nodes, engage in mining, or participate in staking are not required to obtain a money transmitter license. The legislation further says that these activities are not to be treated as the issuance or sale of securities. For market participants, this is significant because it touches two core compliance questions at once: whether a regulated money transmission license is required, and whether common blockchain operations could be interpreted as securities-related activity.
Dedicated blockchain dispute court and effective date
Beyond rights of use and operational protections, the bill authorizes the New Hampshire Supreme Court to establish a dedicated blockchain dispute court to hear related civil disputes. The measure is set to take effect 60 days after passage. Source text: the LegiScan page linked in the source URL.