Relating to civil asset forfeiture of digital currency or other similar property.
Texas Senate Bill 1498 amends the state code to explicitly include digital currency, non-fungible tokens, and stablecoins as "contraband" subject to civil asset forfeiture. It allows law enforcement to seize these digital assets if used in connection with specific felonies, such as drug trafficking under Chapter 481 of the Health and Safety Code, financial crimes under Chapter 32 of the Finance Code, or healthcare fraud involving government programs. The bill directly affects individuals owning digital currency who are involved in the listed criminal activities. This change clarifies that digital assets now fall under existing forfeiture rules for tangible property, addressing gaps in how cryptocurrency was previously treated under Texas law.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
Senate Passage
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Signed into Law
Jun 2025
Introduced Feb 20, 2025
Signed Jun 20, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons
What changed between versions
Engrossed
→
Enrolled
·
3 edits
·
May 26, 2025
MINOR
The bill was converted from an 'Engrossed' draft to an 'Enrolled' final version, adding official signatures, certification of passage by both legislative chambers, and the Governor's approval. The substantive policy content regarding digital currency forfeiture remains unchanged from the original draft.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; only formatting and finalization status were updated.
TECHNICAL
Removed draft formatting artifacts and added official enrolled version headers, signatures, and certification of legislative passage votes.
Added certification statements confirming the bill passed the Senate on April 1, 2025, and the House on May 23, 2025, with specific vote counts.
TIMELINE
Added Governor's approval signature line and date field to complete the enrolled bill process.
Floor votes · Senate Apr 1, 2025 · House May 22, 2025
How they voted
25–5
Passed
Total votes 30
Apr 1, 2025
D
Democratic10
100% Yea
R
Republican20
75% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
49
Key actions
13
Committee
9
May 26, 2025
Lower · Passed
Signed in the House
lower
May 26, 2025
Upper · Passed
Signed in the Senate
upper
May 23, 2025
Upper · Passed
House passage reported
upper
May 23, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 22, 2025
House · Passed
House Vote: pass (89-43-10)
house
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
May 12, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence
lower
Apr 9, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
Apr 2, 2025
Introduced
Received from the Senate
lower
Apr 1, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Committee report printed and distributed
upper
Mar 13, 2025
Upper · Passed
Reported favorably w/o amendments
upper
Mar 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Vote taken in committee
upper
Mar 11, 2025
Upper · Passed
Testimony taken in committee
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Committee
Referred to Criminal Justice
upper
Mar 6, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
upper
2 primary · 2 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Mary Ann Perez
DDemocratic
P
Robert Nichols
RRepublican
Co
Borris Miles
DDemocratic
Co
Tan Parker
RRepublican
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