The Senate Agriculture Committee reschedules its crypto bill hearing to January 27

The Senate Agriculture Committee announced on Tuesday that its delayed Crypto Market Structure Act will be released on January 21 and will be debated six days later.

The Senate Agriculture Committee plans to release its cryptocurrency market structure bill on January 21 and hold a significant hearing on the bill on January 27.

The committee announced on Tuesday that its hearing—originally scheduled for January 15 but postponed on Monday—will begin at 3:00 PM. Marking the hearing is an important step in advancing legislation. Lawmakers will have the opportunity to debate amendments, vote on whether to include them in the core text, and then vote on whether to send the overall bill to the full Senate for consideration.

The Senate Banking Committee will hold a review meeting of its version of the bill this Thursday. The draft of the Banking Committee’s version was released around midnight on Monday, although lawmakers are expected to propose amendments before the hearing.

Senator and Committee Chair John Boozman stated in a release, “The revised schedule ensures transparency and allows the committee to conduct a thorough review as it advances legislation to provide clarity and certainty to the crypto market.”

“I appreciate Senator [Cory] Booker, who has been an excellent partner, and also thank our team for their hard work and dedication in crafting new rules to protect consumers—rules that not only safeguard consumers but also support American innovation,” he said, referencing the senator’s leadership role in negotiations within the committee.

Since its initial draft discussion, the Agriculture Committee has not released a new draft text. Unresolved issues include moral clauses involving former President Donald Trump and his family’s connections to multiple crypto businesses, as well as rules for quorum requirements, which call for bipartisan leadership at agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Currently, both agencies are composed solely of Republican members.

According to two sources tracking the bill, told CoinDesk that the text from the Banking Committee also does not include provisions related to morals or quorum requirements, so the current version may not garner bipartisan support.