A legislative committee in New Hampshire has overwhelmingly approved a Bitcoin bill with a 16-1 vote.
The House Commerce Committee’s decision has paved the way for New Hampshire’s Bitcoin bill to move to a full House vote.
On March 5, the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee passed House Bill 302 with a 16-1 vote, advancing it toward a full floor vote.
By approving the bill, the committee has placed it among seven active state bills currently under consideration in the U.S. House, according to Bitcoin Laws.
If enacted, the bill would allow New Hampshire’s treasurer to invest up to 5% of the general fund, the revenue stabilization fund, or any other funds authorized by the legislature.
The legislation does not explicitly mention Bitcoin, but it only permits investments in digital assets with an average market capitalization of $500 billion over the past year—a requirement that, at present, only Bitcoin meets.
The bill mandates that any acquired digital asset must be held by a qualified custodian or structured as an exchange-traded product.
In addition to digital assets, the bill grants New Hampshire’s treasurer the authority to invest in precious metals, including gold, silver, and platinum.
Republican Keith Ammon introduced House Bill 302 on January 10, with Democratic co-sponsors Chris McAleer and Carry Spier supporting it.
On March 5, during the House committee discussion, Ammon highlighted that lawmakers had modified the bill to exclude stablecoins and staking.
Additionally, he noted that New Hampshire Treasurer Monica Mezzapelle has expressed potential interest in making investments under the bill once it becomes law.
Before lawmakers amended it, the bill proposed allowing the treasurer to invest up to 10% in the designated funds. However, they later revised this limit to 5%.
New Hampshire now joins North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Texas in awaiting a House vote, while Utah and Arizona have already passed one and two bills, respectively. The House lawmakers of the state of Montana have voted against establishing a Bitcoin reserve.
Amid ongoing state-level regulatory progress, U.S. President Donald Trump established a Crypto Strategic Reserve on March 2, including Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, and Cardano.
On March 5, Matt Hougan, Bitwise’s chief investment officer, predicted that Bitcoin would likely make up the vast majority of the reserve.
