Quick TakeA controversial legislative proposal for the Stablecoin Tethering and Bank Licensing Enforcement (STABLE) Act was recently announced by members of Congress, which could have extensive implications for digital assets if the bill were signed into law. Our two-part series will examine the STABLE Act Discussion Draft, those endorsing the potential legislation, reactions from the digital assets community, what the bill could mean for node operators, and more. This piece, Part I, provides background on the environment leading up to the STABLE Act proposal, digs into the backgrounds of those that support it and their primary motivations, reviews the bill’s proposed requirements for stablecoin issuers and the potential penalities that they could face from regulators.