Restore Trust in Congress Act (H.R. 5106)
September 3, 2025
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Where This Stands
Currently in_committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →The Frame
If passed, this law would force members of Congress and their immediate families to divest from most individual financial holdings, fundamentally changing how they manage personal assets while in office.
Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.
Members of Congress
They are prohibited from owning or trading most individual financial assets and must divest current holdings.
Spouses and dependents of Congress members
They are subject to the same ownership and trading restrictions as the members themselves, with limited exceptions for their primary occupations.
Current stage: in_committee.
Floor Vote.
Summary
Key Facts
- Prohibits members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from owning or trading 'covered investments' including stocks, commodities, and derivatives.
- Requires current members to divest from covered investments within 180 days of enactment.
- Requires new members to divest from covered investments within 90 days of becoming a covered individual.
- Exempts diversified, publicly traded investment funds, U.S. Treasury securities, state/municipal bonds, small business interests, and personal real estate LLCs.
- Exempts Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act common stock.
- Allows spouses and dependents to trade covered investments if the trade is a function of their primary occupation and the asset is not owned by the member of Congress.
- Provides for Certificates of Divestiture to manage tax implications of forced sales.
- Requires divestiture of assets held in qualified blind trusts.
- Allows exemptions for family trusts only if the member of Congress did not create the trust, contribute to it, or have authority over the trustee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can members of Congress still own mutual funds?
What happens if a spouse's job requires them to trade stocks?
Are there tax penalties for being forced to sell my stocks?
Why It Matters
If passed, this law would force members of Congress and their immediate families to divest from most individual financial holdings, fundamentally changing how they manage personal assets while in office.
News Coverage
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Broadening of Ethics Restrictions
The bill moves beyond simple disclosure requirements to active prohibition of asset ownership, representing a significant tightening of congressional ethics standards.
Connected Entities
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance90How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment40Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz75Current news / social attention level
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