《CLARITY Act》 Faces Final Boss Battle: 7 Democratic Senators Must Defect Before Full Senate Vote

BlockBeats News, May 15th, The "Crypto Market Structure Act" (also known as the CLARITY Act) has been approved by the Senate Banking Committee this morning and is now headed to the full Senate for a vote. Currently, the market is optimistic about the prospect of passing the legislation this year, with the prediction market Polymarket giving it over a 70% chance of success. However, the "CLARITY Act" still faces further challenges. The most difficult hurdle is the upcoming vote in the full Senate to end debate, where it will need to secure 60 out of 100 votes. The upcoming legislative process for the "CLARITY Act" is detailed as follows:

The Senate Banking Committee version of the bill is set to merge with the Senate Agriculture Committee version, and success is highly likely. The Banking Committee version focuses on the SEC-related aspects, with key points such as securities law, exchange registration, DeFi protection, etc. The Agriculture Committee version, which was already passed on January 29th, deals with the CFTC-related parts, covering digital commodity spot markets, derivatives, intermediaries, etc. The two committee versions are complementary, with no significant conflicts, and the merging process is expected to take 2-3 weeks.

After the merger, the "CLARITY Act" will proceed to the full Senate vote. The vote will first need to pass a "cloture" motion, requiring 60 out of 100 votes. If the 60-vote threshold is not met, any senator could indefinitely delay the bill, preventing it from reaching a final vote. Currently, two Democratic senators have crossed party lines in support, and all 51 Republican senators are expected to vote in favor. However, at least 7 Democratic senators need to switch sides for the bill to pass. This represents the biggest variable in the legislative journey of the "CLARITY Act." Upon successful cloture, a final vote will be held, requiring a simple majority (51 votes) to pass and create the Senate version of the "CLARITY Act."

The Senate version of the "CLARITY Act" will then be reconciled with the House version passed in July 2025. A joint conference committee will be established to achieve a final unified text agreed upon by both chambers, and the final version will undergo a vote in both houses, requiring only a simple majority to pass. Since consensus has already been reached within the committee prior to the vote, it is expected to pass quickly and be sent to the President for signing.