Clarity Act Passes Senate Committee 15-9 — Floor Vote Coming 

History was made on Thursday evening. The U.S. Senate Banking Committee voted 15-9 to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. It sends the most comprehensive U.S. crypto market structure bill ever written to the full Senate for a floor vote. Two Democrats, Senators Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks, crossed the aisle to support the bill. While delivering the bipartisan result that the industry had fought months to achieve. Crypto news today marks the most significant legislative milestone for digital assets in U.S. history.

The Vote That Changed Everything

Committee Chairman Tim Scott called it exactly what it was. “Today, the Banking Committee showed the American people that Washington can still work together,” he said. “We had a serious debate, worked through real differences, and came together around a shared goal: protecting consumers, supporting innovation, and keeping the future of finance in America. This legislation brings digital assets into the sunlight with clear rules, stronger safeguards, and better tools to stop bad actors.”

SCOOP: Last minute negotiations between Banking Committee Republicans and Democrats over multiple amendments were brokered this morning in an effort to secure bipartisan support for today’s vote on the Clarity Act, multiple sources tell me.

However, the compromise came at the…

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) May 14, 2026

Last-minute negotiations between Banking Committee Republicans and Democrats were brokered Thursday morning to secure bipartisan support. The compromise unlocked Gallego and Alsobrooks, but it came at a cost. Language from Senator Lummis’s amendment referencing the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act was removed from Section 301. That disappointed DeFi advocates who argue those protections for non-custodial software developers are essential. 

Senator Bernie Moreno acknowledged during the hearing that Section 301 remains unfinished. This signals those discussions will continue as the Banking and Agriculture Committee texts merge.

Democrats Vote Yes With Conditions

Both Democratic votes came with explicit warnings attached. Senator Gallego was direct about what his committee vote does and does not mean. “My vote today is so we can continue these efforts. But I want to be clear: my vote here does not guarantee a vote on the floor,” he said. “Toughest and most critical of all is coming to an agreement on ethics guardrails for elected officials. This remains my focus moving forward.”

NEW: Post-markup, @SenRubenGallego, who just voted with GOP counterparts to advance the Clarity Act out of committee, reiterated that ethics guardrails for government officials remain a top priority for him and said further progress on that front will determine how he votes on… https://t.co/o2f3glv7Gu pic.twitter.com/jwVExxY8oj

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) May 14, 2026

Senator Mark Warner, despite positively referencing bipartisan progress during the markup, ultimately did not vote to advance the bill. It is a signal that the ethics provisions remain genuinely unresolved rather than settled.

What Comes Next?

The path forward involves three steps. First, the Senate Banking Committee’s version merges with the Senate Agriculture Committee’s portion. This already completed its own markup covering CFTC jurisdiction over digital commodities to form one unified Clarity Act bill. Second, that combined text heads to a full Senate floor vote where 60 votes are needed to advance. Based on recent reports, that vote is realistically targeted for June or July 2026, ahead of the August recess. Third, if the Senate version differs from the House-passed bill, reconciliation follows before the bill reaches the President’s desk.

The ethics provisions, BRCA developer protections, and DeFi oversight language remain the outstanding 1% that Senator Lummis has publicly committed to resolving post-committee. Whether Democrats like Gallego convert their committee yes into a floor yes depends entirely on how those negotiations develop in the coming weeks.

What This Means for Investors and Developers

For Clarity Act 2026 investors, committee passage is the clearest regulatory catalyst crypto markets have seen since Bitcoin ETF approval. Polymarket odds, already at 75% before the vote, will move higher. The bill’s framework, SEC oversight for securities, CFTC oversight for digital commodities, 1:1 stablecoin backing requirements, and bank custody permissions. These all remove the legal uncertainty that has kept institutional capital cautious for years.

For developers, the removal of BRCA language from Section 301 is the one genuinely concerning development from Thursday’s session. That fight is not over. Senator Moreno’s commitment to continuing Section 301 discussions means the floor vote version. That could restore those protections or weaken them further depending on how negotiations land. The full Senate vote is the next checkpoint. Thursday proved Washington can move on crypto. Now it has to finish the job.

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