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SF0068 • 2022

Decentralized autonomous organizations-amendments.

AN ACT relating to corporations; amending statutory provisions regulating decentralized autonomous organizations; amending definitions; making technical corrections; amending the obligations of members and dissociated members; amending factors for dissolution of a decentralized autonomous organization; repealing definitions and provisions related to decentralized autonomous organizations; and providing for an effective date.

Technology
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
BlockChain/Technology
Last action
2022-03-09
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
3/9/2022

Plain English Breakdown

The effectiveness of these changes in regulating and protecting members remains uncertain.

Amendments to Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Law

This act changes Wyoming's laws about decentralized autonomous organizations by clarifying definitions, rules for management, and dissolution procedures.

What This Bill Does

  • Clarifies the meaning of 'majority of members', 'membership interest', and 'smart contracts'.
  • Allows a DAO to be managed either by its members or through smart contracts.
  • Gives the Secretary of State power to dissolve a DAO if it doesn't provide an identifier within 30 days after formation.
  • Says that a smart contract can serve as a DAO's operating agreement.
  • Requires any smart contract used by a DAO to be updatable and modifiable.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Decentralized autonomous organizations in Wyoming
  • Members of decentralized autonomous organizations

Terms To Know

Majority of the members
More than half of the people who can vote on decisions.
Membership interest
A member's share or ownership in a decentralized autonomous organization.
Smart contract
An automated agreement that executes based on certain conditions, often using blockchain technology.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The act does not specify how to handle DAOs without clear management rules.
  • It is unclear if all existing DAOs will automatically comply with the new requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2022-03-09 LSO

    Assigned Chapter Number 36

  2. 2022-03-09 Governor

    Governor Signed SEA No. 0016

  3. 2022-03-07 House

    H Speaker Signed SEA No. 0016

  4. 2022-03-07 Senate

    S President Signed SEA No. 0016

  5. 2022-03-07 LSO

    Assigned Number SEA No. 0016

  6. 2022-03-07 House

    H 3rd Reading:Passed 53-5-2-0-0

  7. 2022-03-04 House

    H 2nd Reading:Passed

  8. 2022-03-03 House

    H COW:Passed

  9. 2022-03-02 House

    H Placed on General File

  10. 2022-03-02 House

    H01 - Judiciary:Recommend Do Pass 8-1-0-0-0

  11. 2022-02-28 House

    H Introduced and Referred to H01 - Judiciary

  12. 2022-02-28 House

    H Introduced and Referred to {NextAssignedTo}

  13. 2022-02-24 House

    H Received for Introduction

  14. 2022-02-24 Senate

    S 3rd Reading:Passed 30-0-0-0-0

  15. 2022-02-23 Senate

    S 2nd Reading:Passed

  16. 2022-02-22 Senate

    S COW:Passed

  17. 2022-02-22 Senate

    S Placed on General File

  18. 2022-02-22 Senate

    S09 - Minerals:Recommend Do Pass 4-0-1-0-0

  19. 2022-02-16 Senate

    S Introduced and Referred to S09 - Minerals 29-1-0-0-0

  20. 2022-02-11 Senate

    S Received for Introduction

  21. 2022-02-11 LSO

    Bill Number Assigned

Official Summary Text

Bill Summary - 22LSO-0063
Bill No.:

SF0068

Effective:

Immediately

LSO No.:

22LSO-0063

Enrolled Act No.:

SEA No. 0016

Chapter No.:

36

Prime Sponsor:

Select Committee on Blockchain, Financial Technology and Digital Innovation Technology

Catch Title:

Decentralized autonomous organizations-amendments.

Subject:

Decentralized autonomous
organization (DAO) regulation.

Summary/Major Elements:

A decentralized autonomous organization is typically a member owned organization without centralized leadership. Management may be determined autonomously using smart contracts.

In Wyoming, the decentralized autonomous organization supplement has provided for DAOs as limited liability corporations (LLCs) with laws specific to that type of LLC.

This act amends the decentralized autonomous organizations supplement to:
Clarify the definitions of "
majority
of the members," "
membership
interest," and "
smart
contracts."
Clarify that a DAO is not either "member managed" or "algorithmically managed" but may vary in the extent that it is member or algorithmically managed.
Allow the
Secretary
of
State
to dissolve a DAO thirty (30) days after
formation
if
no
publicly available identifier
is included in papers filed with the Secretary of State.
Clarify that
a smart contract may constitute a DAO's
operating agreement.
Clarify that management is vested in the DAO members or the DAO members and any applicable smart contracts.
Require any smart contract utilized by a DAO to be capable of being updated,
modified
or otherwise upgraded.
Clarify rights of members and dissociated members as well as how a person becomes a member and withdraws from membership in a DAO.
Provide additional events that cause dissolution of a DAO and provide a process to petition a court for dissolution.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.

While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
22LSO-0063

ORIGINAL Senate

File No
.
SF0068

ENROLLED ACT NO. 16,

SENATE

SIXTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2022 Budget Session

AN ACT relating to corporations; amending statutory provisions regulating decentralized autonomous organizations; amending definitions; making technical corrections; amending the obligations of members and dissociated members; amending factors for dissolution of a decentralized autonomous organization; repealing definitions and provisions related to decentralized autonomous organizations; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 17
‑
31
‑
102(a)(v), (vi) and (ix), 17
‑
31
‑
103(a), 17
‑
31
‑
104(e), 17
‑
31
‑
105 by creating a new subsection (e), 17
‑
31
‑
106(c)(x), by creating a new paragraph (xi) and renumbering (xi) as (xii), 17
‑
31
‑
108, 17
‑
31
‑
109, 17
‑
31
‑
111(a)(i) and (ii), 17
‑
31
‑
112, 17
‑
31
‑
113(a) and by creating a new subsection (d) and 17
‑
31
‑
114(a)(ii), (v), by creating a new paragraph (vi) and by creating a new subsection (c) are amended to read:

17
‑
31
‑
102.

Definitions.

(a)

As used in this chapter:

(v)

"Majority of the members
,
" means
the approval of
more than fifty percent (50%) of
participating
the
membership interests
eligible to participate
in a vote
for which a quorum of members is participating
or any membership interests required pursuant to the decentralized autonomous organization's articles of organization or operating agreement
. A person dissociated as a member as set forth in W.S. 17
‑
29
‑
602 shall not be included for the purposes of calculating the majority of the members;

(vi)

"Membership interest" means a member's ownership
share
right
in a
member managed
decentralized autonomous organization, which may be
defined in the entity's
determined by the organization's
articles of organization
, smart contract
or operating agreement
or ascertainable from a blockchain on which the organization relies to determine a member's ownership right
. A membership interest may also be characterized as either a digital security or a digital consumer asset as defined in W.S. 34
‑
29
‑
101, if designated as such in the organization's articles of organization or operating agreement;

(ix)

"Smart contract" means an automated transaction, as defined in W.S. 40‑21‑102(a)(ii), or any substantially similar analogue,
which is comprised of
or
code, script or programming language
that executes the terms of an agreement and
relying on a blockchain
which may include taking custody of and transferring an asset, administrating membership interest votes with respect to a decentralized autonomous organization or issuing executable instructions for these actions, based on the occurrence or nonoccurrence of specified conditions.

17
‑
31
‑
103.

Application of Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act.

(a)

The Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act applies to decentralized autonomous organizations to the extent not inconsistent with the provisions of this chapter
,
and the powers provided to the secretary of state by W.S. 17
‑
29
‑
1102 shall apply to this chapter.

17
‑
31
‑
104.

Definition and election of decentralized autonomous organization status.

(e)

A statement in the articles of organization
may define
shall establish how
the decentralized autonomous organization
as either a member
shall be
managed
decentralized autonomous organization or an
by the members, including to what extent the management will be conducted
algorithmically
.
managed decentralized autonomous organization. If the type of decentralized autonomous organization is not otherwise provided for, the limited liability company will be presumed to be a member managed decentralized autonomous organization.

17
‑
31
‑
105.

Formation.

(e)

If the articles of organization filed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section does not include a publicly available identifier as required by W.S. 17
‑
31
‑
106(b), the person filing shall have thirty (30) days to provide the publicly available identifier to the secretary of state.

If the publicly available identifier is not provided within thirty (30) days, the secretary of state shall dissolve the decentralized autonomous organization.

17
‑
31
‑
106.

Articles of organization.

(c)

Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the articles of organization and the smart contracts for a decentralized autonomous organization shall govern all of the following:

(x)

Procedures for
amending,
updating,
editing or changing applicable
modifying or otherwise revising the organization's
smart contracts;

(xi)

Dispute resolution;

(xi)
(xii)

All other aspects of the decentralized autonomous organization.

17
‑
31
‑
108.

Operating agreement.

To the extent the articles of organization or smart contract do not otherwise provide for a matter described in W.S. 17
‑
31
‑
106, the
obligations, rights and duties of the members and
operation of a decentralized autonomous organization may be supplemented by an operating agreement.

An operating agreement may be a smart contract.

17
‑
31
‑
109.

Management.

Management of a decentralized autonomous organization shall be vested in its members
, if member managed,
or the
members and any applicable
smart
contract, if algorithmically managed, unless otherwise provided in the articles of organization or operating agreement
contracts
.
All smart contracts utilized by a decentralized autonomous organization shall be capable of being updated, modified or otherwise upgraded.

17
‑
31
‑
111.

Membership interests for decentralized autonomous organizations; voting.

(a)

For purposes of W.S. 17
‑
31
‑
113 and 17
‑
31
‑
114 and unless otherwise provided for in the articles of organization, smart contract or operating agreement:

(i)

Membership interests in a
member managed
decentralized autonomous organization shall be calculated by dividing a member's contribution of digital assets to the organization
divided
by the total amount of digital
assets contributed to the organization at the time of a vote;
or

(ii)

If
all
members
do
have
not
contribute
contributed
digital assets to an organization as a prerequisite to becoming a member, each member shall possess one (1) membership interest and be entitled to one (1) vote;

17
‑
31
‑
112.

Right of members and dissociated members to information.

To the extent the information is available on an open blockchain, m
embers
and dissociated members
shall have no right under W.S. 17
‑
29
‑
410 to separately inspect or copy records of a decentralized autonomous organization and the organization shall have no obligation to furnish any information
to members or dissociated members
concerning the organization's activities, financial condition or other circumstances
.
to the extent the information is available on an open blockchain.

17
‑
31
‑
113.

Membership and withdrawal of members.

(a)

Except as specified in subsection (d) of this section, a
member may only withdraw from a decentralized autonomous organization in accordance with the terms set forth in the articles of organization, the smart contracts or
, if applicable,
the operating agreement.

(d)

Where the articles of organization, operating agreement and smart contracts for a decentralized autonomous organization do not specify the manner by which a person:

(i)

Becomes a member of a decentralized autonomous organization, a person shall be considered a member if the person purchases or otherwise assumes a right of ownership of a membership interest or other property that confers upon the person a voting or economic right within the decentralized autonomous organization;

(ii)

Withdraws membership from a decentralized autonomous organization, the person shall cease to be a member if the person transfers, sells or alienates all membership interests or other property that confers upon the person a voting or economic right within the decentralized autonomous organization and retains no further right of ownership therein.

17
‑
31
‑
114.

Dissolution.

(a)

A decentralized autonomous organization organized under this chapter shall be dissolved upon the occurrence of any of the following events:

(ii)

By vote of the majority of
the
members of a
member managed
decentralized autonomous organization;

(v)

By order of the secretary of state if
T
he decentralized autonomous organization
is deemed to
no longer
perform
performs
a lawful purpose
.

or is no longer under the control of at least one (1) natural person;

(vi)

Where all members of the decentralized autonomous organization have withdrawn in accordance with W.S. 17
‑
31
‑
113.

(c)

Any interested party may petition a court of competent jurisdiction for dissolution of a decentralized
autonomous organization upon the occurrence of any of the events specified in subsection (a) of this section and upon finding the occurrence of one (1) or more of the events specified in subsection (a) of this section the court shall enter an order dissolving the decentralized autonomous organization.

Section 2.

W.S. 17
‑
31
‑
102(a)(iv) and (viii), 17
‑
31
‑
105(d) and 17
‑
31
‑
111(a)(iii) are repealed.

Section 3
.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the Senate.

Chief Clerk

1