The National Sheriffs' Association dropped its opposition to the CLARITY Act, removing a prominent law enforcement objection days before a scheduled Senate vote. The group stopped short of endorsing the bill, and the Senate still faces a cloture test on Sept. 15.
The National Sheriffs' Association changed its position on the CLARITY Act to neutral in a Sept. 3 letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer. Sheriff Troy Wellman, the association's president, and Justin Smith, its executive director and CEO, signed the letter. The move removes a prominent law enforcement objection before the bill's scheduled Senate vote.
Sheriffs Cite Unresolved Details
The association said stepping back would let lawmakers keep developing a regulatory framework for digital asset markets rather than block the process outright. According to the letter: "the most appropriate course is to step back and allow the legislative process to proceed".
The shift follows months of objections to provisions covering decentralized finance and noncustodial software developers. Law enforcement groups argued that Section 604 could create investigative gaps, while industry representatives maintained the provision protects developers who do not control customer assets or transactions. The association had intensified its warnings in a July 31 letter to Senate leaders, representing 3,081 sheriffs and approximately 10,000 public safety professionals who argued proposed exemptions could weaken registration, know-your-customer, anti-money laundering, and sanctions requirements for some DeFi participants.
Law Enforcement Groups Split
Other law enforcement organizations have taken different positions as lawmakers revised the bill. The 382,000-member Fraternal Order of Police endorsed the revised CLARITY Act after concluding that changes preserved criminal investigations and existing statutes, and Major County Sheriffs of America had also moved from opposition to neutral. Yet the National Sheriffs' Association's letter framed neutrality as a decision to let negotiations continue, not a replacement of opposition with support.
H.R. 3633, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025, would split oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The House passed the measure 294-134 on July 17, 2025 before sending it to the Senate, where lawmakers developed revised market structure legislation.
Sept. 15 Cloture Vote Looms
Thune filed cloture on Aug. 8 on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3633, a procedural step that requires 60 votes if every senator participates. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats, so the measure needs support beyond the party's own membership. The cloture vote is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. EDT on Sept. 15, the bill's first Senate floor test; a successful vote would only limit debate on the motion to proceed, not pass the bill itself.
Supporters characterized the association's shift as a sign of growing momentum ahead of the vote. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) both welcomed the association's change of position on X.
Source: Bitcoin News
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