Overview
Representative French Hill (R-AR) is the Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services and the lead House sponsor of the CLARITY Act. He has been the primary architect of crypto market structure legislation in the House across multiple Congress sessions, including FIT21 in the 118th Congress and the CLARITY Act in the 119th Congress.
Key Facts
- U.S. Representative from Arkansas’s 2nd district; House Financial Services Committee Chairman.
- Lead sponsor of the CLARITY Act (H.R. 3633), introduced May 29, 2025.
- Previously led FIT21 (Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act) in the 118th Congress.
- CLARITY Act passed House 294-134 on July 17, 2025 — Hill’s signature legislative achievement.
- Co-wrote “Crypto Week” op-ed in The Hill and on Agriculture Committee website with Chairman G.T. Thompson.
- Quote: “We are taking historic steps to ensure the United States remains the world’s leader in innovation.”
- Explicitly framed Biden administration as “openly hostile to crypto and innovation.”
- Target for end of September 2025: CLARITY Act passage in the Senate.
Newsletter Relevance
Hill is the legislative architect of the most sweeping digital asset regulation in U.S. history. The CLARITY Act ending the SEC/CFTC jurisdictional ambiguity is his main achievement. His ability to pass CLARITY 294-134 (bipartisan) shows this has genuine cross-party appeal beyond just Republican crypto maximalism.
Connections
- CLARITY Act — primary sponsor; legislative architect
- GENIUS Act — championed as co-equal partner legislation
- CBDC — supported Anti-CBDC Act passage
- Donald Trump — legislation explicitly advances Trump’s “Crypto Capital of the World” agenda
- Cynthia Lummis — Senate partner on crypto framework
- Tom Emmer — House leadership partner on Crypto Week
Source Appearances
- CLARITY Act Section-by-Section — House Financial Services Committee — official document from his committee
- House Announces Crypto Week July 14 — Financial Services Committee — quoted extensively
- Ending the Era of Uncertainty — House Agriculture Committee Op-Ed — co-authored with G.T. Thompson
- CLARITY Act Industry Support — House Financial Services Committee — his committee published industry support
Open Questions
- Can Hill shepherd the CLARITY Act through the Senate by end of September 2025?
- How does Hill navigate the ethics provision gap in the CLARITY Act (Sec. 111 covers commodities but not stablecoins, leaving Trump’s USD1 outside the prohibition)?