Hey #Bitcoin-ers, help us spread the word! It's early, but #Illinois has two new pieces of legislation introduced... -Community Bitcoin Reserve Act (SB3743)

Official government website of the Illinois General Assembly

Welcome to the Official government website of the Illinois General Assembly

-Digital Asset Investment Act (SB3672)

Official government website of the Illinois General Assembly

Welcome to the Official government website of the Illinois General Assembly

IYKYK; Illinois has a bad rap for being hostile to Bitcoin, but that is changing!

The Digital Asset Investment Act has been introduced allowing #Illinois to invest in #Bitcoin and associated products!

SB3672 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

#Bitcoin history is being made in Illinois. The Altgeld Bitcoin Reserve just became the nation's first community-run Bitcoin treasury to gain formal state recognition. Here's the story of how a public housing community built in 1945 is becoming a model for financial sovereignty The Backdrop: Altgeld Gardens was built for African American WWII veterans. It became a stark example of environmental racism: • Surrounded by toxic waste • Highest cancer rates in Illinois • Poverty below $12k per capita • 90% African American population This is where the environmental justice movement was born in 1979. The Pivot: In March 2025, IBC member Tolbyus Shephard founded the Altgeld Bitcoin Reserve. The mission: transform 80 years of economic injustice into generational wealth through a community-controlled Bitcoin treasury. How it works: 1. Acquire and hold Bitcoin in transparent DAO treasury 2. Run revenue programs (financial literacy, trucking ownership) 3. Reinvest 50% of profits to grow the reserve 4. Distribute benefits to residents The Momentum August 2025: IL Rep John Cabello meets with Altgeld leaders October 2025: Illinois House Resolution 0446 recognizes ABR as the nation's first community Bitcoin reserve January 2026: Tolbyus meets with IL House Minority Leader Tony McCombie at the State Capitol February 2026: Senate Bill 3743 introduced — the Community Bitcoin Reserve Act Why This Matters: In communities like Altgeld, Bitcoin is a tool for: • Economic transformation • Financial sovereignty • Community-led development • Breaking cycles of exclusion The Lesson: When traditional institutions have failed a community for 80 years, Bitcoin offers an alternative. The Altgeld Bitcoin Reserve proves it. Credit to Tolbyus Shephard for the vision and relentless advocacy. Proud that the Illinois Bitcoin Council supports this work.

#Illinois proposes the Community #Bitcoin Reserve Act! The bill creates a state program to hold Bitcoin in multisig cold storage, starting with Tolbyus Shephard’s Altgeld Bitcoin Reserve. BTC cannot be traded or sold without new legislation.

Grateful for the opportunity to support Tolbyus Shephard's Altgeld #Bitcoin Reserve at the State Capitol! Thank you to House Minority Leader Tony McCombie and IL Representative John Cabello for their leadership. Special shout out to IBC Advocacy Coordinator & Board member, Mark Hurley, for his support.

#Bitcoin presentation at the Rock of Our Salvation Church in Chicago, Illinois today with Andrew Tilmann & Tolbyus Shephard! https://www.youtube.com/live/QfJjWFKFwNI

CLARITY Act TL;DR

Join us for our upcoming Spaces on Bitcoin inheritance planning w/ IBC Vice President @JeffHilsenbeck With @XSTACI as our host, we'll talk to industry professionals like Illinois' own Brady Pugliese. https://x.com/i/spaces/1MYxNlVrDlOGw

Check out this episode with Andrew Tilmann, CEO of The Bitcoin Scholarship Foundation, time-locked hope for the next generation, and why honest charity only works on Bitcoin. A powerful conversation about building the world we want to live in…

The greater the nodes, the stronger the network.

ChatGPT, how does Illinois compare to other states with governors in prison? Here’s how Illinois compares to other states in terms of governors who have gone to prison — Illinois is #1. 🥇 Illinois: 4 governors in prison No other state has as many former governors incarcerated. 🥈 States tied for second place (each with 2 governors who went to prison) •Louisiana •Tennessee •Maryland •Arkansas •North Dakota •West Virginia •Arizona Most other states have zero or one governor who has ever been imprisoned. Why Illinois stands out Illinois’ political machine history (Chicago + Springfield) produced: •Patronage systems •Pay-to-play corruption •Long periods of single-party control •Weak early ethics laws This created an environment where corruption was easier and enforcement later became aggressive. If you’d like, I can rank all states, or explain what each of those states’ governors went to prison for.

Rep. Warren Davidson (R, Ohio) just dropped the #Bitcoin for America Act that: ✅ Turns Trump’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve EO into permanent law ✅ Lets EVERY American pay federal taxes in Bitcoin with zero capital-gains tax on the payment ✅ Locks the reserve for at least 20 years (no spending it on pork) ✅ Allows voluntary “round-up” or direct contributions so the U.S. stack grows deficit-neutral The Bitcoin Policy Institute crunched the numbers: if just 1% of taxpayers opt in, America saves hundreds of billions over 20 years vs. the $38T debt spiral.

Help make #bitcoin everyday money. Email your representative to eliminate capital gains on bitcoin payments under $600. https://btcismoney.xyz/

@jack mallers any updates on Clover?

Bitcoin Magazine

POS Giant Clover Teams Up With Strike To Bring Bitcoin’s Lightning Network To Millions Of Merchants

A 90-day trial period kicks off Clover’s integration with the Bitcoin Lightning Network, enabling faster, cheaper payments at merchants.

#Bitcoin payments are now live on Square. To put this in context, Square is by far the POS leader, per Grok… 1. Square: 4.1 million active merchants worldwide. 2. Clover: 700,000 businesses globally. 3. Toast: 156,000 locations, primarily U.S. restaurants. 4. Lightspeed: 144,000 locations worldwide. squ.re/acceptbitcoin

The IBC is is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit dedicated to fostering the responsible growth and adoption of #Bitcoin in Illinois through education, advocacy, & collaboration.

This is either morally, ethically, or intellectually bankrupt reporting. Please do your own research… Read Ludwig von Mises who first claimed in his 1912 book The Theory of Money and Credit that inflation as an increase in the money supply not matched by rising demand for money, which lowers money’s purchasing power and causes price rises. Monetary inflation leads to price inflation. This is why we Bitcoin.

Andrew Hohns, founder/CEO of Battery Finance and Newmarket Capital, details #Bitcoin's role in fixing credit markets via collateral on a recent WBD episode. Let's use #Illinois pension crisis ($140B hole) as a case study showing how bitcoin's scarcity counters fiat debasement... #Illinois pension crisis: $140B unfunded liability as of 2023. State devotes 20% of budget to stabilization payments. Taxes hiked repeatedly (property rates top 2.2%, income tax 4.95%). Result: 100K+ residents flee annually, gutting tax base, accelerating spiral. Core thesis: Bitcoin collateral fixes credit markets warped by inflation. Fiat debasement erodes pensions (20-40% of funds in credit). #Illinois exemplifies: COLA-adjusted liabilities balloon to $174T nationally by 2034. Hohns' model: Battery Finance issues loans backed by real estate & #Bitcoin. Underwrite assuming BTC=0; cash flows from assets cover debt. BTC upside shared 40-60% with borrower. First deal: $12.5M Philly multifamily, $1.5M buys 20 BTC. LTV drops as BTC rises, no volatility calls. #Illinois application: Pension funds allocate to #bitcoin-backed bonds. Replaces inflation-vulnerable treasuries. BTC scarcity (21M cap, 95% mined) vs. gold's 1.5-2% annual dilution. Funds preserve real value; no more 5% Roman-style debasement over decades. Inflation mechanics: Central banks monetize $37T U.S. debt via keystrokes. #Illinois mirrors; $40B general obligation bonds, interest > education spend. Video: Repeated bailouts (2008, COVID) inflate assets, debase savers. #Bitcoin hedges: Finite supply counters endless printing. CBDC threat: 100+ countries test digital fiat for control (expiring funds, geo-fencing). #Illinois, already surveilled via IL SAVE, risks amplified erosion. Video: #Bitcoin as "freedom money" for 7B in unstable currencies. Mobile access equalizes savers from Chicago to rural counties. Community rebuild: Video pushes #bitcoin for main streets. #Illinois towns (e.g., Rockford, Peoria) hollowed by out-migration, e-commerce. BTC loans at 6% (vs. 8%) + treasury allocation. Small biz adds uncorrelated asset: $10K BTC on $50K loan yields liquidity, appreciation. #BitBonds proposal: Treasury issues bonds (90% funds spending, 10% buys BTC). 1% rate (vs. 4.5%); 50/50 upside split at maturity. U.S. guarantees principal. Savings: 25% interest cut, even if #bitcoin zeros. #Illinois pilots state BitBonds: Tax-exempt, stabilizes pensions sans tax hikes. Projections: Historical #bitcoinreturns yield 10-20% investor yields. #Illinois: $25B tranche tests custody, scales to $140B liability. Offsets 20% budget drain. No new laws; market-driven. Counters Yellen-era short-term debt traps. Behavioral shift: #Bitcoin enforces low-time preference. #Illinois workers, facing automation (trucking unions), save in sats vs. dissipating dollars. Farms recapitalize: BTC collateral funds equipment, draws youth vs. urban exodus. Reduces processed-food dependency; reclaims time for self-investment. Risks mitigated: Loans lock #bitcoin 4+ years, align incentives. #Illinois adoption: Start municipal (Chicago studies via Adams model), scale statewide. Avoids California-style flight. Video data: Global assets inflate to quadrillions; BTC cycles persist but scarcity drives net upside. Outcome: #Illinois deploys #bitcoin to term out debt, rebuild trust, halt spiral. Sovereigns lead or lag; video predicts U.S. federal pivot under BTC-literate policy. Funds protected; cities preserved. Cycle ends.

When priced in bitcoin, everything trends to zero…

The US Dollar lost ~3% of its value so far in 2025. To put that in perspective… OVER A 10-YEAR SPAN, YOU’D HAVE LOST 25% OF YOUR VALUE #Bitcoin’s fixed 21M supply solves for the pernicious persistence of currency debasement.