Senator Debbie Stabenow Sponsors Legislation to Prohibit Members of Congress from Trading Stocks

Legislation Will Prevent Conflicts of Interest & Insider Trading

Friday, February 04, 2022

Senator Debbie Stabenow today announced that she cosponsored bills to ban Members of Congress from buying and selling stocks while in office. The bills, the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act, the Ban Conflicted Trading Act and the Bipartisan Ban on Congressional Stock Ownership Act, will prohibit all Members of Congress from buying and selling individual stocks and similar investments while in office. 

“There is an inherent conflict of interest for Members of Congress who have access to information impacting the stock market that is not available to the general public. Legislators have access to information and create laws that can impact entire industries. These actions can have a significant influence on stock prices. This legislation will prevent potential conflicts of interest and strengthen public trust in our government,” said Senator Stabenow.

Members of Congress have advance notice of actions and policies not available to the general public that can impact an industry, such as investigations, potential hearings, and bill announcements. These bills ensure that Members of Congress cannot personally benefit from this information through stock trades.

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