Rep. Angie Craig Reintroduces Legislation to Clean Up Washington
Craig’s HUMBLE Act is one of the most expansive stock trading ban proposals in Congress
Bill would also withhold pay during future Speaker fights and ban Members from lobbying after Congress, flying first class with taxpayer funds, serving on corporate boards
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Angie Craig reintroduced the Halt Unchecked Member Benefits with Lobbying Elimination (HUMBLE) Act to clean up Washington.
The HUMBLE Act includes provisions that would ban Members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks, impose a lifetime ban on lobbying for Members, prohibit the use of taxpayer funds for first-class airline tickets and eliminate traditional perks for former Members.
Rep. Craig’s legislation also includes new language to ban Members from serving on corporate boards while they’re in Congress and to withhold Member pay if Congress does not elect a Speaker on the first day of a new Congress.
“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,” said Rep. Craig. “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.”
Rep. Craig’s legislation, one of the most expansive government reform proposals on either side of the aisle, is endorsed by multiple good government groups.
"The American people are losing faith in the system because the system isn’t working for them," said End Citizens United // Let America Vote Action Fund President Tiffany Muller. "That’s why we are proud to support Congresswoman Craig’s new anti-corruption measures, which would stop members of Congress from using their positions of power to pad their bank accounts–and stop them from making millions as lobbyists when they leave Congress.”
“Members of Congress, as elected representatives to pursue the public interest, should live by the strictest ethics rules to prevent using public office for personal gain. Rep. Craig’s HUMBLE Act would impose many sorely-needed ethics rules on Congress, from slamming close revolving door abuses to cashing-in on the stock market using insider knowledge gleaned from their positions in Congress. The HUMBLE Act offers a great leap forward,” said Craig Holman, Ph.D., Public Citizen.
"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," said Noah Bookbinder, President of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "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."
Click here to read the HUMBLE Act.
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