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Congress·In Committee·about 2 months ago

Senate Bill Would Ban Members of Congress and Their Families From Trading Individual Stocks

Also known as: Restore Trust in Congress Act

Legislative Progress

✓ Filed
Review
Senate
House
President

Impacts

Positive Impacts(1)
Small Business Owner
Helps

Small business interests are explicitly exempt from the ban, so lawmakers who own small businesses can keep those investments.

State Impacts

AlaskaAK
Positive

Alaska Native Settlement Common Stock is explicitly exempt from the trading ban, protecting Alaska Native shareholders.

Key Points

  • This bill would stop Members of Congress, their spouses, and their dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks, commodities, or futures. The goal is to prevent lawmakers from using private information to make money or passing laws that benefit their personal investments.
  • Lawmakers who already own these types of investments would have to sell them within 180 days after the law passes. People who are elected to Congress in the future would have 90 days to sell their stocks once they take office.
  • The bill allows some exceptions for common, low-risk investments like diversified mutual funds, U.S. Treasury bonds, and interests in small businesses. Spouses are also allowed to trade stocks if it is a required part of their professional job.
  • If a lawmaker breaks these rules, they must pay a fine equal to 10% of the investment's value and give up any profits they made from the trade. These fines would be paid to the U.S. Treasury and cannot be paid using campaign money or official office funds.
  • To keep things transparent, the government would be required to post a list of all fines and the reasons they were issued on a public website for anyone to see.
EconomyConsumer ProtectionCivil Rights

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 15, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Jan 15, 2026

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Current Members of Congress must sell all individual stocks and covered investments

Lawmakers and their families would have 180 days to sell off stocks, commodities, and futures after the law takes effect.

Newly elected Members of Congress must divest covered investments within 90 days of taking office

Anyone who joins Congress after the law passes would need to sell their individual stocks within about 3 months of being sworn in.

Related News

1 article
Post Journal·about 2 months ago

Gillibrand announces bipartisan bill to ban Congressional stock trading

Senator Gillibrand introduced the Restore Trust in Congress Act to eliminate conflicts of interest. The bill bans members and immediate family from owning or trading individual stocks, including assets in blind trusts, while providing exceptions for diversified funds and Treasury bonds.

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Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Restore Trust in Congress Act

Bill NumberS 3649
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
D: 1

Analysis generated by AI. While we strive for accuracy, this should not be considered legal or professional advice. Always verify information with official government sources.