CNBC: House advances bill barring sitting Congress members from buying stocks

The U.S. House advanced legislation on Wednesday that would stop members of Congress from buying individual stocks while in office, taking the first meaningful action on an issue that has dogged lawmakers for years.

The bill passed on a vote of 232-198, with more than a dozen Democrats joining Republicans in support.

There is broad public support for a ban on members of Congress trading while in office, as lawmakers’ well-timed trades and booming portfolios have raised insider trading concerns among ethics watchdogs and drawn intense public scrutiny going back decades. 

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