The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Wednesday on legislation that would bar members of Congress from purchasing individual stocks while holding office.
The bill represents the first major legislative attempt to restrict direct equity trading by lawmakers, addressing long-standing concerns about potential conflicts of interest and insider trading risks.
The proposed restriction would apply to new stock purchases, effectively freezing lawmakers' ability to expand their personal equity portfolios during their tenure.
This approach differs from a complete ban on stock ownership, allowing legislators to retain existing holdings while preventing new positions that could be influenced by non-public information gained through their official duties.
The House vote follows recent ethics reforms in the Senate, where lawmakers passed a rule prohibiting senators from trading on prediction markets.
That measure, which took effect immediately, was designed to curb potential insider trading and ethical conflicts in an emerging financial sector.