House passes stock trading restrictions with voter ID provision

Jul 22, 2026

The U.S. House passed a bill 232-198 to restrict stock trading by members of Congress, their spouses, and children. The GOP-led legislation bars new stock purchases but allows lawmakers to keep existing holdings. Democrats largely oppose the bill as too weak and criticize an attached voter ID provision as a "poison pill." The bill, the first of its kind to pass either chamber, now faces an uncertain path in the Senate.

House stock trading bill

▪The U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Stop Insider Trading Act" in a 232-198 vote.
▪The bill increases penalties for disclosure violations to $2,000 or 10% of the transaction's value, whichever is greater.
▪Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a leader on the bill, stated she owns zero individual stocks.
▪The bill's passage is the first time a measure to restrict congressional stock trading has cleared either the House or the Senate.
▪The legislation allows lawmakers to keep their existing stock holdings but not add to them.
▪The bill bars members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing new individual stocks.
▪Members can sell existing stocks provided they give public notice between 7 and 14 days in advance.

Voter ID provision

▪The voter ID requirement is a key issue for President Donald Trump and is related to his proposed SAVE America Act.
▪House Republicans attached an unrelated provision to the bill that would require voters in federal elections to show photo ID.

Democratic opposition

▪Rep. Joseph D. Morelle called the voter ID provision a "poison pill" added by Republicans.
▪Democrats largely opposed the bill, with only 13 voting in favor.
▪Democratic critics, such as Rep. Seth Magaziner, called the bill "weak" and "a stock trading ban that still allows stock trading."

Senate prospects

▪The bill now goes to the Senate, where its prospects are considered uncertain, partly due to the voter ID provision.
▪A stricter bill to block stock ownership passed a Senate committee last year but has since stalled.

Congressional stock trading history

▪A 2012 law known as the STOCK Act already makes insider trading by Congress illegal but is considered weak and rarely enforced.
▪There is broad public support for a ban on members of Congress trading stocks while in office due to insider trading concerns.

Midterm election messaging

▪The vote is seen as a messaging win for House Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
▪Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill shows Republicans are delivering solutions to restore public faith in institutions.