On March 29, 2022, Senator Hertzberg presented SB 1190 to the California Senate Governmental Organization Committee. This bill aims to establish a California Trust Framework and student pilot program using Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs). Tony Rose, Head of Product Identity for Input Output Global (IOG), testified for this trailblazing piece of legislation. The Atala PRISM team was excited to have no opposition and unanimous Ayes.
On or before January 1, 2024, this bill would require the Department of Technology to create a California Trust Framework to provide industry standards and best practices regarding the issuance of credentials to verify information about a person or a legal entity. The bill would require the California Trust Framework to be designed, to the greatest extent possible, to be interoperable with other government trust and governance frameworks for verifiable credentials.
The message needs to be clear, this legislation has nothing to do with California utilizing Cardano or Atala PRISM. IOG is a member of the Blockchain Advocacy Coalition (BAC) to advocate its position. This relationship allows IOG to work with BAC and regulators to help shape the rules to create and operate a trust framework and a pilot program for students to use decentralized identity.
This vote is the first step in the "How a Bill Becomes Law" process. There is much work to do, more committees, and more votes. This day was a milestone that we will look back upon when the California Trust Framework begins operating, and students use DIDs to maintain their academic records.
For more information on joining the Blockchain Advocacy Coalition, contact them here.
