Restore Trust in Congress Act
Sponsored By: Representative Roy
Introduced
Summary
A ban on Members of Congress and their spouses and dependent children owning or trading certain investments during federal service. It sets clear definitions for covered investments, deadlines for divestiture, narrow exemptions, and penalties to curb conflicts of interest and increase transparency.
Show full summary
- Members of Congress and families: Prohibits direct or indirect ownership or trading of defined “covered investments” while serving. People covered on enactment must divest within 180 days and those who become covered afterward have 90 days to divest.
- Ethics offices and enforcement: The supervising ethics office issues guidance, can grant extensions for liquidity or vesting, and manages Certificates of Divestiture tied to tax rules. Violations carry a 10 percent fee of the investment value, disgorgement of profits, and public posting of assessed fines, with payments to the Treasury.
- Trusts and narrow exceptions: Qualified Blind Trusts must be divested while Family Trust exemptions are allowed only if covered individuals did not contribute, act as grantor, or control the trust. An Occupational Exception lets a spouse or dependent trade when it matches their primary job.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Congress and family must sell investments
The bill would bar Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from owning, buying, or trading covered investments. Those covered on enactment would have 180 days to sell at fair market value; those who become covered later would have 90 days, and assets gained by marriage, inheritance, or divorce after enactment would need sale within 90 days. Ethics offices could extend deadlines for low liquidity, vesting, or contracts. A spouse or child could trade only if they own the asset and trading is their main job; blind trust assets would also be sold, while a family trust could be exempt only with a written certification and strict limits. The bill would define what counts as a covered investment and exclude diversified funds, U.S. Treasuries, and state or local bonds.
Heavy fines for breaking trading ban
If you break the investment rules, the ethics office could charge a fee equal to 10% of the investment’s value and make you give up any profits. Disgorged profits would go to the U.S. Treasury. The ethics office would publish each fine and the reason. House Members could not use office funds, campaign money, or other donations to pay these penalties.
Tax relief for required sales by Congress
If you sell investments to follow these rules, the ethics office would issue a certificate of divestiture after you show proof. That certificate would let you use tax procedures under Internal Revenue Code section 1043 to defer or reduce taxes from the sale. Each certificate would list the specific properties covered and may follow any granted extensions.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Roy
TX • R
Cosponsors
Torres (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
McGovern
MA • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Ogles
TN • R
Sponsored 9/8/2025
Schweikert
AZ • R
Sponsored 9/8/2025
Johnson (SD)
SD • R
Sponsored 9/8/2025
Magaziner
RI • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Burchett
TN • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Jayapal
WA • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Fitzpatrick
PA • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Ocasio-Cortez
NY • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Luna
FL • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Krishnamoorthi
IL • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Perry
PA • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Min
CA • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Nunn (IA)
IA • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Neguse
CO • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Cloud
TX • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Levin
CA • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Norman
SC • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Riley (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Cammack
FL • R
Sponsored 9/3/2025
Bresnahan
PA • R
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Bera
CA • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Amo
RI • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Soto
FL • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Craig
MN • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Whitesides
CA • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Omar
MN • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Sherman
CA • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Kiley (CA)
CA • R
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Bell
MO • D
Sponsored 9/4/2025
Mace
SC • R
Sponsored 9/8/2025
Scanlon
PA • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Larson (CT)
CT • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Landsman
OH • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Thanedar
MI • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Elfreth
MD • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Crow
CO • D
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Boebert
CO • R
Sponsored 9/9/2025
Khanna
CA • D
Sponsored 9/10/2025
Crane
AZ • R
Sponsored 9/10/2025
Nadler
NY • D
Sponsored 9/10/2025
Mfume
MD • D
Sponsored 9/10/2025
Deluzio
PA • D
Sponsored 9/10/2025
Sorensen
IL • D
Sponsored 9/10/2025
Miller-Meeks
IA • R
Sponsored 9/11/2025
Ansari
AZ • D
Sponsored 9/11/2025
Mannion
NY • D
Sponsored 9/11/2025
Stanton
AZ • D
Sponsored 9/11/2025
Garamendi
CA • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Kelly (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Pocan
WI • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
DelBene
WA • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Budzinski
IL • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Mullin
CA • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Goodlander
NH • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Garcia (IL)
IL • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Menendez
NJ • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Ramirez
IL • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Vasquez
NM • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Salinas
OR • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Goldman (NY)
NY • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
McGarvey
KY • D
Sponsored 9/15/2025
Frost
FL • D
Sponsored 9/16/2025
Moskowitz
FL • D
Sponsored 9/16/2025
Courtney
CT • D
Sponsored 9/16/2025
Correa
CA • D
Sponsored 9/16/2025
Tokuda
HI • D
Sponsored 9/17/2025
Jacobs
CA • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Tlaib
MI • D
Sponsored 9/26/2025
Quigley
IL • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Cleaver
MO • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Tonko
NY • D
Sponsored 9/30/2025
Pettersen
CO • D
Sponsored 10/3/2025
Perez
WA • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Bonamici
OR • D
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Baumgartner
WA • R
Sponsored 10/8/2025
Horsford
NV • D
Sponsored 10/10/2025
Latimer
NY • D
Sponsored 10/17/2025
Gottheimer
NJ • D
Sponsored 10/17/2025
Cherfilus-McCormick
FL • D
Sponsored 10/17/2025
Simon
CA • D
Sponsored 10/21/2025
Harrigan
NC • R
Sponsored 10/28/2025
Pappas
NH • D
Sponsored 10/28/2025
Lee (PA)
PA • D
Sponsored 11/4/2025
Dexter
OR • D
Sponsored 11/7/2025
Collins
GA • R
Sponsored 11/12/2025
Kim
CA • R
Sponsored 11/13/2025
Suozzi
NY • D
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Johnson (TX)
TX • D
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Olszewski
MD • D
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Torres (CA)
CA • D
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Auchincloss
MA • D
Sponsored 11/17/2025
Titus
NV • D
Sponsored 11/18/2025
Raskin
MD • D
Sponsored 11/19/2025
Huffman
CA • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Garcia (CA)
CA • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Foster
IL • D
Sponsored 11/20/2025
Randall
WA • D
Sponsored 11/21/2025
Thompson (CA)
CA • D
Sponsored 11/21/2025
Self
TX • R
Sponsored 12/1/2025
Norcross
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Balint
VT • D
Sponsored 12/3/2025
Casar
TX • D
Sponsored 12/4/2025
McIver
NJ • D
Sponsored 12/5/2025
McBride
DE • D
Sponsored 12/5/2025
McCollum
MN • D
Sponsored 12/9/2025
DeGette
CO • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Matsui
CA • D
Sponsored 12/10/2025
Trahan
MA • D
Sponsored 12/11/2025
Barragan
CA • D
Sponsored 12/11/2025
McDonald Rivet
MI • D
Sponsored 12/11/2025
Cline
VA • R
Sponsored 12/12/2025
Escobar
TX • D
Sponsored 12/15/2025
Langworthy
NY • R
Sponsored 12/16/2025
Meng
NY • D
Sponsored 12/17/2025
Messmer
IN • R
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Foushee
NC • D
Sponsored 12/18/2025
Van Orden
WI • R
Sponsored 1/6/2026
Hoyle (OR)
OR • D
Sponsored 1/6/2026
Crenshaw
TX • R
Sponsored 1/6/2026
Subramanyam
VA • D
Sponsored 1/7/2026
Strickland
WA • D
Sponsored 1/13/2026
McClain Delaney
MD • D
Sponsored 1/14/2026
Van Drew
NJ • R
Sponsored 1/15/2026
Mackenzie
PA • R
Sponsored 1/30/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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