Bill would bar lawmakers and spouses from trading individual stocks

Q: What does it cost, and who pays?

Violators must forfeit profits and pay fines equal to 10% of the unsold investment's value every 30 days until they comply.

Placed on the calendarS. 1498Latest action Dec 10, 2025

Sponsor: Josh Hawley · Senator · MO

AIDecoded by AI · checked against the record

Read the official text

Official title: Halting Ownership and Non-Ethical Stock Transactions (HONEST) Act

119th Congress

Topics: Government & democracy

Introduced: April 28, 2025

Read the official bill on Congress.gov

In plain words

The plain-language version comes first. The official text is always the reference.

Members of Congress and spouses would have 180 days to sell banned investments or face escalating fines.

45-second read · 5 questions answered below

What does this do?

The bill would bar members of Congress and their spouses from buying, selling, or holding individual stocks and similar investments while in office. Exceptions include diversified mutual funds, ETFs, Treasury bonds, and a spouse's own job income. Members would get 180 days to sell off banned holdings, must certify compliance yearly, and violations trigger loss of profits plus recurring fines.

Who does it affect?

Sitting members of Congress and their spouses; enforced by House and Senate ethics committees, with auditing compliance after two years.

Why does it matter?

The change would reshape how lawmakers manage personal finances while serving, aiming to reduce conflicts of interest between official duties and financial holdings, though it does not directly affect the public.

What does it cost, and who pays?

Forfeit any profits made
fine of 10% of value
charged every 30 days

AI-drafted summary. Check it against the official text before you act on it.

Read the official bill on Congress.gov

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Where does it stand?

IntroducedApr 28, 2025
Senate committee
Senate voteYou are here · Dec 10, 2025
House
The president's desk

Right now: it was placed on the , and the official record shows no floor action on it since. If the House changes it, it goes back to the Senate before reaching the president.

Latest action: December 10, 2025 — Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 294.

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How it's being covered

Coverage of this bill from across the press. Each outlet's political lean is labeled where AllSides has rated it, and marked "Not rated" where it has not.

Newest of these articles: Jul 28, 2026

washingtontimes.com
Leans right
Voter ID provision torpedoes Senate vote on stock trading ban
Jul 28, 2026
“The House's Stop Insider Trading Act failed to pass the Senate on Monday, devolving into a partisan debate over tacking voter ID provisions onto what would othe...” — washingtontimes.com
yahoo.com
Not rated
Trump warned he would have to sell Mar-a-Lago, setting off ‘second-tier’ rant against ally Hawley over stock bill
Aug 1, 2025
“‘He had a number of people call him and say that the bill had been changed at the last minute to force him to sell’” — yahoo.com
foxnews.com
Leans right
WATCH: Trump ‘wants to get' stock-trading ban done, Hawley insists after president's brutal attack on bill
Aug 1, 2025
“Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is optimistic after weathering a brutal friendly fire attack from President Donald Trump, saying that despite the pushback, the preside...” — foxnews.com
salon.com
Leans left
Hawley responds to Trump calling him “second-tier” senator
Jul 31, 2025
“Hawley drew the president's ire via a bill that would require politicians to refrain from trading stocks.” — salon.com

Lean labels describe the news outlet, not this bill or any party. Ratings by AllSides.