The Louisiana state government has started accepting cryptocurrency payments in exchange for state services, the state’s treasurer announced this week.

Residents will now be able to pay for state services with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and USDC, a “stablecoin” that’s value is pegged to the dollar.

“Louisiana residents will now have the option to pay for state services from their private, secure crypto wallets,” a press release from Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming explains. “In today’s digital age, government systems must evolve and embrace new technologies. By introducing cryptocurrency as a payment option, we’re not just innovating; we’re providing our citizens with flexibility and freedom in interacting with state services,” Fleming went on to note.

The first use of cryptocurrency for state services occurred on Tuesday, when cryptocurrency was sent to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. The state is using a service that immediately converts cryptocurrency sent to the government into dollars, a move that Fleming says “protects our state from any volatility associated with cryptocurrency.”

The conversion service will be offered by Bead Pay, a company that is, according to CEO Jay Sykes, “focused on removing the traditional barriers associated with cryptocurrency, such as volatility and fraud risks, making it a reliable option for government transactions.”

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The decision from Louisiana comes as Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, has been greeted with widespread institutional adoption this year, with asset managers like Van Eck and Blackrock even having Bitcoin exchange-traded funds approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The flagship digital asset is up roughly 130 percent over the last 12 months at the time of writing, with Bitcoin hitting a new all-time high of just over $73,000 in mid-march.

Former President Donald Trump has also come out in support of the cryptocurrency industry as he campaigns for president and spoke at the annual Bitcoin Conference, where he outlined his plans to “ensure that the United States will be the crypto capital of the planet.”

“Bitcoin stands for freedom, sovereignty, and independence from government,” Trump went on to say at the event, which also featured speeches from Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Megyn Kelly went viral after she suggested she might enter politics in order to stop a Connecticut lawmaker over his support of transgender surgery for kids.

On Wednesday in a post on X, the host of “The Megyn Kelly Show” podcast shared a post from U.S. Senator Chris Murphy [D-CT] who shared a clip of himself on the U.S. Senate floor, celebrating the fact that he’d blocked “a Republican resolution” — which he claimed was a “shameful” move by Republicans “to bully and marginalize” transgender kids.

“You make me want to run for office in my new home state of CT and take your job,” Kelly wrote to her millions of followers, who moved to the state in 2020 due to the “woke” leftism and race essentialism in her kids’ New York City schools, as previously reported.

At the time of this publication, Kelly’s post has been seen more than 1.6 million times.

You make me want to run for office in my new home state of CT and take your job. https://t.co/tLWKNMLOtZ

— Megyn Kelly (@megynkelly) September 18, 2024

The resolution was originally brought by U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) to recognize October 10 as ‘American Girls in Sports Day,’” following a move by President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris administration to change Title IX — a policy that was originally enacted in 1972 to protect women and girls — to protect transgender-identifying people. The U.S. Supreme Court later blocked the Biden-Harris administration’s move to change Title IX in a 5-4 decision.

“For nearly 50 years, Title IX has represented an American commitment to provide women with equal opportunities in educational programs and activities,” Blackburn said at the time she made the resolution.

“Today, the Biden administration is intent on erasing the contributions made by women and changing the world of athletics as we know it,” she added. “Now more than ever, it’s important to celebrate girls and women in sports, and I’m glad to champion this resolution in their honor.”

Blackburn later posted that Senate Democrats had blocked the resolution, something former collegiate swimmers Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan, blasted them over.

“Senate Democrats blocked female athletes from celebratory recognition because…they’re not men?” Gaines, who had to compete and change in the presence of trans-identifying male swimmer Lia Thomas, wrote.

“If you’re looking for a definition of misogyny, look no further,” she added. “Democrats are lying to you when they claim to be the party for women. @MarshaBlackburn.”

“Chris, I’m a girl from Connecticut and I was later FORCED to compete and undress alongside a fully grown man,” Scanlan wrote, who also had to compete and change in front of Thomas-shared.

“It’s Democrats like you that bully and marginalize girls into accepting predatory males into their private spaces,” she added. “I’m ASHAMED you represent my home state.”

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