REGULATION

NOBLE Backs CLARITY Act, First Major Law Enforcement Group to Do So

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Key Takeaways

  • NOBLE is the first major law enforcement group to endorse the CLARITY Act, citing new investigative tools without loss of existing authorities.
  • Four other law enforcement organizations oppose the bill over Section 604’s non-custodial developer protections.
  • The Senate is in recess until July 13, and the bill still needs 60 votes, including at least seven Democrats, to pass.

The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) endorsed the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act in a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. NOBLE is the first major law enforcement organization to formally back the bill. The endorsement lands as the legislation faces continued pushback from other police and prosecutor groups over illicit-finance provisions.

NOBLE’s Letter to Senate Leaders

The letter, sent July 1, was signed by NOBLE National President Reneé Hall, a former Dallas police chief. Hall said the bill adds new investigative tools while preserving the criminal enforcement authorities agencies already rely on.

The organization said it reviewed the legislation’s operational impact before taking a position. In the letter, NOBLE wrote that the bill “contains several provisions that would provide law enforcement with meaningful new capabilities while preserving longstanding criminal enforcement authorities.”

NOBLE pointed to four specific areas: expanded regulatory obligations across the digital asset industry, strengthened forfeiture and seizure authorities, new compliance requirements for industry participants, and added oversight of digital asset kiosks. The group said existing federal criminal statutes covering money laundering, unlicensed money transmission, conspiracy, and sanctions violations remain untouched by the bill.

A Break From Other Law Enforcement Groups

NOBLE’s position separates it from four other national law enforcement organizations that raised concerns earlier this year. The National District Attorneys Association, the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs’ Association previously objected to the bill.

Their concerns center on Section 604, which incorporates the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act and creates protections for non-custodial software developers. Opponents argue the carve-out is broad enough to shield certain decentralized finance services from anti-money-laundering and know-your-customer requirements. In a June 4 letter to Senate leadership, the coalition warned the bill “would provide the Senate’s stamp of approval to deregulate the industry.”

The coalition also cited a Federal Bureau of Investigation figure showing consumers reported $11.4 billion in losses to crypto-related financial crime in 2025. The letter noted that figure likely understates the true total, since it does not account for low victim-reporting rates or losses from online hacks and theft.

A coalition of advocacy groups, including Catholic sisters, separately asked Senate leadership to reexamine the bill’s illicit-finance, anti-money-laundering, and accountability provisions.

Where the Bill Stands

The CLARITY Act has cleared the House and advanced through the Senate Banking Committee, which placed it on the floor calendar as Calendar No. 423 on June 1. It has not yet passed the full Senate. Passage requires 60 votes, meaning at least seven Democrats would need to support it.

The Senate is in recess and set to return July 13. Stand With Crypto, an industry advocacy group, urged supporters this week to contact their senators ahead of that return, framing the window for a vote as narrow. The Senate’s return will mark the next opportunity for lawmakers to bring the CLARITY Act to a floor vote.

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