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Congress Stock Trading Ban Bill Advances with New House Resolution
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Key points
- House Resolution 1656 establishes procedural rules to consider legislation banning stock trading by federal officials.
- The Restore Trust in Government Act (H.R. 6731) would prohibit lawmakers, executive leaders, and dependents from owning or trading stocks.
- The proposal remains an introduced bill that requires adoption of the House resolution before floor debate can begin.
NewsWK — The rule, designated as House Resolution 1656, sets the framework for debating ethics legislation. It governs floor debate on financial trading restrictions for elected leaders.
How would a congressional stock ban affect federal lawmakers?
The proposed rules would bar top elected officials and their immediate family members from holding or selling individual equity shares. However, lawmakers must first approve the procedural resolution before taking up the underlying legislation on the House floor.
The restrictions in the bill target specific high-ranking government officials across multiple branches:
- Members of Congress in both chambers
- The President and Vice President of the United States
- Spouses and financial dependents of covered leaders
What does HR 6731 specifically require?
The measure is formally known as the Restore Trust in Government Act. Specifically, HR 6731 amends Chapter 131 of Title 5 in federal law. Representative Seth Magaziner introduced the proposal with key co-sponsors. These include Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Joseph Morelle, Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, and Pete Aguilar.
What happens next for the effort to ban stock trading Congress debated?
House Resolution 1656 serves strictly as an operational vehicle to structure floor debate and amendments. Consequently, passing the resolution does not alter federal ethics laws by itself. Instead, lawmakers must adopt the rule to schedule a final vote on the core proposal.
Currently, the legislation remains an introduced measure awaiting formal floor action. Therefore, federal ethics requirements remain unchanged until both legislative chambers pass the bill. The President must also sign the legislation before any trading restrictions take effect.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
Sources
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