She Blocked Bitcoin—Arizona’s Governor Tosses Crypto Reserve Plan Into the Snow

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  • Arizona Governor vetoes SB 1025, singlehandedly turning innovation into a snowball fight.
  • SB 1373, battered and bandaged, waits outside the Senate chamber for Democrat approval.

Like bread that has been denied warmth and left in the Siberian frost, the dreams of Arizona’s legislators froze in midair on the chill night of May 3, 2025. From her desk—no, her fortress—Governor Katie Hobbs, savant of priorities, penned her refusal with the same flourish one might swat a persistent mosquito. The crowds may have clapped for hope, but hope, as we discover, does not always fit inside the ledger of “bipartisan disability funding.”

In satirical fashion, SB 1025—destined to place Arizona ahead of the other 49 weary travelers in America—was unceremoniously vetoed. Imagine the proposed Digital Assets Strategic Reserve: a parade of state officials herding confiscated funds into the slippery, uncharted wilds of Bitcoin. It would have been regulated, supervised, possibly even worshipped as a modern gold. Instead, the bill encountered an authority who, with the slap of a cold fish (or perhaps a law book), ended the spectacle. But do not despair; after all, the guillotine of priorities can be mercifully swift.

Where Bills Go to Wait—And Freeze

Trace back, if you dare, to the beginnings—the hopeful thaw of early 2025. On April 28, two bills hurried from the House: SB 1025, restless to be signed, and SB 1373, clinging hopefully to its paperwork. The second of these would have allowed up to 10% of the state’s emergency funds to embark on a cryptocurrency rollercoaster. So much excitement, so many spreadsheets trembling with anticipation.

But the Arizona Senate is indecisive, like a man at a train station in the dead of winter, ticket in hand, never quite boarding. By May 1, Senate caucuses gazed at amendments and pondered. Republicans gave a reluctant nod. Democrats, mysterious as the steppe, remained undecided. SB 1373 shivered in limbo—perhaps warming itself with old campaign mailers.

If there were ever a contest for how many times a bill can circle the legislative track before collapsing of exhaustion, Arizona’s crypto bills would have medaled—bronze, probably, because even optimism here needs to budget for disappointment. Bitcoin, once a token of the future, found itself bartered for yet another round of “wait and see.”

Crypto Ambitions Drowned in Ice Water

With the veto of SB 1025, Arizona’s ambitions to hoist the Bitcoin banner now rest beside Siberian exiles—unmarked, unfunded, staring at the limitless horizon and muttering about what could have been. North Carolina, with a sly smirk, advanced its Digital Assets Investment Act, cheerfully allowing up to 5% of a few funds to tumble into crypto. Utah quietly dialed back its own wilder plans. Arizona? Still trying to decide if cryptocurrency is the future or a sandwich left out in the sun.

Governor Hobbs pointed, with a flourish, to the higher goal: bipartisan support for disability funding. Crypto, it seems, is not on the guest list for this legislative gala. Every move is a chess-match on frozen squares—unrelated bills, unrelated priorities, all related in their agony.

SB 1373’s fate remains somewhere between hope and oblivion, like an old boot staring longingly at the last train out of town. Should Senate Democrats awaken and approve the House amendments, the bill could reappear on Governor Hobbs’ stoic desk—less a phoenix, more a pigeon.

For now, Arizona’s pro-Bitcoin dreamers huddle together, trading coins of hope in dark corridors. Nothing moves, except the wind. The chill is palpable, but perhaps someday, the thaw will come—and with it, a bill that doesn’t die of frostbite at the governor’s doorstep. ❄️💸🤷‍♂️

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2025-05-03 23:02