Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, was in South Carolina for a town hall advocating gun safety measures on the 10th anniversary of a massacre at a predominantly Black church, and did not vote on the crypto bill. In a statement, he said he supported its passage.

The 68-30 vote on the GENIUS Act was the first time that the Senate has passed major legislation to regulate digital assets.

In a 68-30 vote on Tuesday evening, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the GENIUS Act with bipartisan support. Eighteen Democrats joined the majority of Republicans in passing the bill, which is the first to establish a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins, crypto tokens that are pegged to the value of the US dollar.