ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Two state legislative committees met on August 9 in Rogers to discuss the issues surrounding crypto mining facilities.

The state House and Senate committees on City, County, and Local Affairs met to specifically discuss the Arkansas Data Centers Act of 2023.

That act allows the creation of data mining centers in Arkansas and gives those centers protections from “discriminatory industry regulations and taxes” among other things.

State Sen. Bryan King says the bill is a bad deal for Arkansans because those centers get more protections than average business owners.

“We don’t know what these crypto-mining facilities do,” King said. “Certainly pig butchering and FTX, all these things, and then we turn around and regulate stock brokers, banks and payday lenders to a certain amount. And somehow, these crypto miners are getting away with anything they want.”

King did propose a study on August 9 that would look into repealing the bill. That proposal was voted down.