Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., on Wednesday announced her intent to revive a bill that would prohibit members of Congress from owning or trading stocks.
"Our constituents sent us to Congress to lower health care costs, fix our roads and bridges and help create good-paying jobs, not play the stock market and line our own pockets. Unfortunately, some of my colleagues have gotten sidetracked by special interests and conflicts of interest," Craig said in a statement.
The Halt Unchecked Member Benefits with Lobbying Elimination Act (HUMBLE) would impose several restrictions on congressional lawmakers, including a lifetime ban on lobbying, a limit on their ability to serve on corporate boards while in office, a ban on using taxpayer funds to fly first class, and a penalty on legislators' pay if they fail to elect a House speaker on the first day of a new Congress.
"I'm reintroducing the HUMBLE Act today because I'm committed to making progress on this issue and making Congress work better for the people we represent," Craig said.
"American government is mired in a crisis of public confidence that threatens to undermine democracy. Congress must take bold action to stop this erosion of institutional legitimacy," Noah Bookbinder, president of the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), said in a statement.
"Rep. Craig's HUMBLE Act, which would, among many things, prohibit members of Congress from owning or trading stocks, would help fight back against the forces arrayed against democracy. CREW encourages Congress to expeditiously debate, discuss, and pass the HUMBLE Act."