The governor of Connecticut last week signed a bill into law that establishes a blockchain working group, CoinTelegraph reported.

Governor Dannel Malloy signed SB 443 into law on June 06, according to public documents. The bill is aimed at studying blockchain technology in order to develop a “master plan” for accelerating the expansion of blockchain ecosystem in the state, along with recommendations to position Connecticut a leader in blockchain technology.

According to the bill text, the master plan would:

“(1) Identify the economic growth and development opportunities presented by blockchain technology; (2) assess the existing blockchain industry in the state; (3) review workforce needs and academic programs required to build blockchain expertise across all relevant industries; and (4) make legislative recommendations that will help promote innovation and economic growth by reducing barriers to and expediting the expansion of the state's blockchain industry.”

The working group is required to submit a report on its findings and recommendations to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly by January 1, 2019

“The working group shall terminate on the date that it submits such report or January 1, 2019, whichever is later,” it added.

A number of states in the United States are actively making efforts to foster blockchain ecosystem. Recently, the State of Colorado passed a legislation that promotes the use of blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies (DLTs). Similarly, a bill has been introduced in Ohio to legally recognize smart contracts and information stored in a blockchain. The New York state legislature has also advance a bill that seeks to create a digital currency task force.