COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Republicans have recently ramped up a push to make cryptocurrency more mainstream, coinciding with specific GOP leaders' wishes.

Mining for new topics to make policy on, many Ohio politicians think they struck gold.

"We chose to lead instead of follow," Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague said in an interview with me.

Numerous bills have been introduced to make crypto more accessible, with lawmakers eventually wanting Ohioans to be able to pay their taxes with it.

These online “coins” are stored in a digital database known as a blockchain. Like stocks, they can be traded and sold. One Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, fluctuates and is worth about $108,000 as of Thursday.

Senate Bill 57 would create a Bitcoin reserve fund, allowing Ohioans to pay taxes and fees in B

See Full Page