One year ago, North Carolina first introduced the Bitcoin Reserve and Investment Act. On Wednesday, the same bill its first Senate reading. For a piece of legislation that began as a proposal most people dismissed, that anniversary carries a certain weight.
One year ago, North Carolina first introduced the Bitcoin Reserve and Investment Act. On Wednesday, the same bill its first Senate reading. For a piece of legislation that began as a proposal most people dismissed, that anniversary carries a certain weight.
Senate Bill 327, sponsored by Senators Johnson and Overcash, would authorise the state treasurer to allocate up to 10% of North Carolina’s public funds into Bitcoin as part of a formal long-term financial strategy. It has been referred to the Rules and Operations Committee, where its next phase of scrutiny begins.
What separates this bill from simpler allocation proposals being floated in other states is the operational depth behind it. North Carolina is not proposing to buy Bitcoin and leave it sitting. The framework includes:
That last point matters enormously. Building a supermajority requirement into the liquidation process creates a structural defence against panic selling during market downturns, something few other state proposals have thought to include.
North Carolina did not arrive at this point overnight. The bill has been in development since March 2025, progressing slowly through the institutional warnings that govern state-level financial decisions.
, New Hampshire, and Arizona have already enacted Bitcoin reserve legislation. Maryland, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, South Dakota, Illinois, Tennessee, and Missouri have all introduced similar bills. Oklahoma, Utah, and Pennsylvania have proposals sitting in committee.
The bill now sits with the Rules and Operations Committee. Passage is not guaranteed, and the road through committee review, floor debate, and potential amendment will take time. The question now is whether North Carolina finishes what it started a year ago.
