1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support H.R. 5106, the Restore Trust in Congress Act, introduced by Representatives Chip Roy and Seth Magaziner. This bipartisan legislation would ban Members of Congress and their families from engaging in individual stock trading and insider trading, directly addressing the conflicts of interest that erode public confidence in our government. Currently, only two in ten Americans trust the government to do what is right. This historic low reflects widespread concern that lawmakers may use privileged information accessed through their positions for personal financial gain rather than serving constituents. H.R. 5106 removes this temptation entirely by prohibiting all Members of Congress, their spouses, dependent children, and trustees from owning, buying, or selling individual stocks, securities, commodities, or futures. The legislation is both comprehensive and practical. It requires current members to divest covered assets within 180 days and incoming members within 90 days, with capital gains taxes deferred through a Certificate of Divesture process similar to what executive branch employees already use. Members can still invest in diversified mutual funds, ETFs, U.S. Treasury bonds, and other broadly held instruments that do not create conflicts of interest. Strong enforcement provisions include fines equal to 10% of covered asset values plus disgorgement of profits, with public disclosure of all penalties. This bill has earned support from across the political spectrum, including Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Brian Fitzpatrick, Anna Paulina Luna, and Tim Burchett. It reconciles several previously introduced bills and represents a unified effort to restore integrity to Congress. Members of Congress should serve the public interest, not their personal portfolios. Information accessed as a lawmaker should only be used to serve constituents, not for personal enrichment. I urge you to cosponsor and vote for H.R. 5106 to help rebuild trust in our democratic institutions.