Senate Staffer Chris Land Leads Crypto Bill Negotiations
Chris Land's journey to becoming the lead negotiator on a major Senate cryptocurrency bill began in an unexpected place, the Wyoming Legislature.
After law school, Land worked as a staff attorney in the state Legislature, where he had a hand in drafting Wyoming's early crypto and digital asset laws. This gave him a 'big head start' on issues Congress would consider over the next few years, he said.
Land joined Sen. Cynthia Lummis's (R-Wyo.) office in 2021 as general counsel and later became staff director when the senator was tapped to chair the digital assets subcommittee in 2025.
Crypto has become a priority during the second Trump administration, with two pieces of legislation dominating the conversation: The GENIUS Act and The Clarity Act. Land described the process of hashing out these bills as a 'daily grind' and an 'adventure.'