{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://alford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1709", "Congressman Mark Alford Advances Effort to Ban Congressional Stock Trading, House Passes Stop Insider Trading Act", "2026-07-22", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Mark Alford", "A000379", "alford.house.gov", "alford", "https://alford.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Stop Insider Trading Act, marking a significant step forward in efforts to prohibit Members of Congress from trading individual stocks while serving in office.\n\nFor years, Americans have raised concerns about whether lawmakers should be allowed to personally trade stocks while making decisions that directly impact the economy and financial markets.\n\nCongressman Mark Alford has been a leading voice on this issue, introducing the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act to establish a stronger ethical standard.\n\nAlford\u2019s proposal was grounded in a straightforward principle: Members of Congress should not be permitted to profit from the same markets they influence through their official duties. His efforts helped elevate the issue in Congress and contributed to broader discussions on restoring public trust and strengthening accountability.\n\nThe Stop Insider Trading Act reflects many of the same principles championed by Congressman Alford. The legislation prohibits Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing individual publicly traded stocks and imposes additional transparency requirements for stock sales.\n\n\u201cPublic service is a privilege, not a pathway to personal profit,\u201d said Congressman Alford. \u201cThe American people deserve confidence that their representatives are making decisions based on what is best for the country, not what benefits their personal portfolios.\u201d\n\nAlford emphasized that the bill represents meaningful progress toward rebuilding trust between Congress and the American people.\n\n\u201cMembers of Congress should be focused on serving the people who sent them here, not managing a stock portfolio,\u201d Alford added. \u201cWhen we hold ourselves to a higher standard, we strengthen faith in our institutions.\u201d\n\nWith House passage secured, the Stop Insider Trading Act now moves to the Senate as lawmakers continue efforts to address concerns surrounding congressional ethics, transparency, and accountability.", 1, "2026-07-23T07:31:02Z", "2026-07-23T07:32:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://alford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1709"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5008801128715277, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}