Why This Matters

Members of Congress and senior staff can buy and sell individual stocks — even in companies directly impacted by their committees’ work.

Investigations show 60+ cases of lawmakers trading stocks tied to legislation they were shaping (defense, tech, COVID response, etc.).

Public trust is collapsing: polls show 80–86% of Americans support a ban on congressional stock trading, across party lines.

Judges, federal employees, and executive branch staff already face stricter bans. Congress has carved out an exception for itself.

The Problem

The 2012 STOCK Act required disclosure, but:

Penalties are trivial ($200 for late filings).

No one has ever been prosecuted.

Members routinely miss deadlines or ignore rules.

Result: systemic “market distortions.” Lawmakers are trading with insider knowledge, while regular Americans play by different rules.

The Solution: This Act

The Legislative Integrity and Accountability Act closes the loopholes with five key reforms:

1. Ban individual stock trades for members of Congress, their spouses, and senior staff.
2. Ultra-Blind Trusts — investments managed with no input or knowledge, preventing circumvention.
3. Rapid, public disclosure (7 days, machine-readable, searchable online).
4. Enforcement with teeth: