Oklahoma Advances Landmark Bill Allowing Bitcoin Payments for Workers
Oklahoma Law Makers have rolled out senate bill 2064 - a legislation that is set to make it possible for state employees, businesses...
Quick overview
- Oklahoma's Senate Bill 2064 aims to allow state employees, businesses, and residents to receive payments in Bitcoin while not designating it as legal tender.
- The bill provides a framework for voluntary Bitcoin payments, enabling flexibility for employees to choose their payment method each pay period.
- If passed, the legislation will also facilitate private businesses and residents to transact in Bitcoin, reducing regulatory hurdles for digital-only businesses.
- The implementation timeline requires a crypto payment processor to be selected by January 1, 2027, with the law potentially going into effect in November 2026.
Oklahoma Law Makers have rolled out senate bill 2064 – a legislation that is set to make it possible for state employees, businesses, and residents to get paid in Bitcoin. Senate Bill 2064 was introduced by Senator Dusty Deevers back in the 2026 legislative session and it provides a legal framework for using Bitcoin, but crucially does not make it an official legal tender – which brings us in line with the US constitution, which says states can only officially declare gold and silver as legal tender.
By defining Bitcoin as a voluntary financial tool, Oklahoma are trying to figure out how to work digital assets into their public finances without causing any constitutional or regulatory headaches in the process. And if they do get this passed, Oklahoma will be joining a pretty small but growing club of US states who are experimenting with using Bitcoin in their government payment systems.
Payroll and Vendor Payment Plans
So if Senate Bill 2064 passes, Oklahoma state employees could then choose to get paid in Bitcoin, in dollars, or a bit of both – and they could update their payment preference at the start of each pay period. The pay period would then use either the value of Bitcoin at the start of the pay period or at the time of payment – the employee and their employer can sort that out between themselves.
🚨 BREAKING:
🇺🇸 SEC CHAIR PAUL ATKINS SAYS THAT $BTC AND CRYPTO MARKET BILL IS READY NOW
OVER $3 TRILLION OF LIQUIDITY WILL BE INJECTED INTO THE MARKET
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— ᴛʀᴀᴄᴇʀ (@DeFiTracer) January 23, 2026
Some of the operational bits of the bill include the following:
- Payments have to go to either a self-hosted or an approved custodial wallet
- Vendors can choose to take Bitcoin payments per transaction, if that’s what they want
- The value of Bitcoin is worked out at the point of payment, unless they’ve agreed otherwise
This all is to keep things as simple as possible, and limit the chances of any disputes arising. And at the same time, the bill tries to keep things flexible for employees and contractors alike, without sacrificing any of the predictability of how payments get made.
Bigger Picture and Implementation Timeline
The good news is that Senate Bill 2064 isn’t just about the state payroll – it allows private businesses and residents to agree to get paid in Bitcoin if that’s what they want to do. And it also reduces some of the regulatory hurdles by giving exemptions to digital-only businesses that dont do any money exchange from having to get licensed.
The state treasurer is then tasked with picking a crypto payment processor – someone who can do it all safely, speedily and with minimal fuss. And all that needs to be sorted by January 1st 2027, with the formal rules all in place by then.
The bill is following in the footsteps of states such as New Hampshire and Texas which have been looking into putting some of their state cash into Bitcoin and digital assets. If it gets passed, the law will go into effect in November 2026, and then by 2027 they should have sorted out how to tax people who get paid in crypto.
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