Should Insider Trading by Congress Be Allowed?



ARCHIVED WEBSITE: The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act intended to prohibit members of Congress from buying or selling securities based on information gained on the job, but the bill died in House committee three times (2006, 2007, 2009) with only a few sponsors. On Nov. 13, 2011, 60 Minutes reported that several members of Congress allegedly used insider information for personal gain, and the STOCK Act received 84 additional House co-sponsors within five days. On Apr. 4, 2012, the STOCK Act was signed into law by President Obama.

Proponents contend that regulating insider trading is inefficient, would be impossible to implement in Congress, and could harm the flow of information between Capitol Hill and the public. Opponents contend that congressional insider trading allows for unethical profiteering and conflicts of interest and that government officials should be held to the same standards as all other Americans. Read more…


ARCHIVED WEBSITE: No new data posted since Apr. 18, 2012.
On Apr. 18, 2012 we archived this site – meaning we will likely no longer make any updates to it. The site was archived because on Apr. 4, 2012 President Obama signed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act which explicitly prohibited members of Congress from buying or selling securities based on information gained on the job. The site will remain accessible so that our readers can continue to benefit from the information it provides. If something materially significant occurs on this subject, we may update or even "unarchive” the site. For a list of all our websites, please visit www.procon.org.


PROS & CONS BY CATEGORY
The STOCK Act

Congressional Representatives' Stock Performance

Financial Disclosure

Political Intelligence

Insider Trading and the Market





Notices for Insider Trading and Congress and Other ProCon.org Information (archived after 30 days) rss icon
Archived Notices

Last updated on 6/6/2013 3:27:33 PM PST

ARCHIVED WEBSITE: The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act intended to prohibit members of Congress from buying or selling securities based on information gained on the job, but the bill died in House committee three times (2006, 2007, 2009) with only a few sponsors. On Nov. 13, 2011, 60 Minutes reported that several members of Congress allegedly used insider information for personal gain, and the STOCK Act received 84 additional House co-sponsors within five days. On Apr. 4, 2012, the STOCK Act was signed into law by President Obama.

Proponents contend that regulating insider trading is inefficient, would be impossible to implement in Congress, and could harm the flow of information between Capitol Hill and the public. Opponents contend that congressional insider trading allows for unethical profiteering and conflicts of interest and that government officials should be held to the same standards as all other Americans. Read more…

ARCHIVED WEBSITE: No new data posted since Apr. 18, 2012.
On Apr. 18, 2012 we archived this site – meaning we will likely no longer make any updates to it. The site was archived because on Apr. 4, 2012 President Obama signed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act which explicitly prohibited members of Congress from buying or selling securities based on information gained on the job. The site will remain accessible so that our readers can continue to benefit from the information it provides. If something materially significant occurs on this subject, we may update or even "unarchive” the site. For a list of all our websites, please visit www.procon.org.


PROS & CONS BY CATEGORY
CORE QUESTION

Defining Insider Trading

Insider Trading Law and Regulation

Legal Loophole for Congressional Insider Trading

The STOCK Act

Congressional Representatives' Stock Performance

Financial Disclosure

Political Intelligence

Insider Trading and the Market






Notices for Insider Trading and Congress and Other ProCon.org Information (archived after 30 days) rss icon
Archived Notices

Last updated on 6/6/2013 3:27:33 PM PST