AARP Urges Senate to Keep Kiosk Registration in CLARITY Act

AARP urged senators to preserve Section 205 of the CLARITY Act ahead of the Senate Banking Committee’s May 14 markup in a letter dated May 13. The letter was authored by Bill Sweeney, AARP’s senior vice president of government affairs, and addressed to Chairman Tim Scott and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren. AARP represents about 125 million Americans age 50 and older.

Section 205 would require cryptocurrency kiosk operators to register with the U.S. Treasury Department as money transmitters, creating a federal registration floor while explicitly preserving states’ ability to regulate and enforce their own rules. AARP asked lawmakers to keep both the registration requirement and the provision that protects state authority intact as the bill advances.

The letter cited Federal Bureau of Investigation data showing more than 13,460 complaints tied to cryptocurrency kiosks in 2025 and reported losses exceeding $389 million. AARP described kiosks as widespread in supermarkets, convenience stores, gas stations, bars and restaurants across the country.

AARP described common scam patterns where callers impersonate government officials, tech support or businesses and instruct victims to withdraw cash and deposit it into a kiosk. Once converted at the machine, funds are sent to digital wallets controlled by criminals, which AARP said makes recovery of stolen money nearly impossible after the transfer.

The letter requested that senators “preserve the Section 205 language as written, including both the money transmitter registration requirement and the rule of construction protecting state authority.” AARP also thanked the committee for including the language in the draft market structure legislation released ahead of the markup.

AARP noted that 29 states have enacted protections for cryptocurrency kiosks, including 12 that adopted measures in 2026. Indiana, Tennessee and Minnesota implemented full bans on the machines, while six other states and the District of Columbia issued specific regulatory guidance.

A trade group representing blockchain firms disputed claims that the CLARITY Act does not address fraud and described AARP as supporting provisions designed to combat scams. The Senate Banking Committee markup on May 14 will consider the CLARITY Act’s market structure provisions, including Section 205, and whether federal registration requirements for kiosk operators will be paired with continued state-level enforcement.