Oregon — Oregon’s U.S. House delegation split along party lines as the House passed H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, with Republican Rep. Cliff Bentz voting in favor and all five Oregon House Democrats voting against the legislation.
The bill passed the House by a vote of 232-198. According to the official roll call, Bentz supported the measure, while Democratic Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Maxine Dexter, Val Hoyle, Janelle Bynum, and Andrea Salinas all voted against final passage.
H.R. 7008 combines two major policy proposals.
One section would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from purchasing individual publicly traded stocks and certain other securities while in office. Lawmakers would still be allowed to invest in diversified mutual funds, index funds, qualifying blind trusts, and several other exempt investment vehicles. The bill establishes civil penalties, forfeiture of profits, mandatory divestiture in some cases, and potential referrals to the U.S. Department of Justice for violations.
The second section would establish a nationwide photo identification requirement for voting in federal elections. Voters casting ballots in person would generally be required to present qualifying government-issued photo identification, while most mail voters would need to provide a copy of an acceptable photo ID or meet alternative identity verification requirements outlined in the bill. The legislation also includes exceptions for certain military and overseas voters, along with some elderly and disabled voters.
Supporters say the legislation would strengthen public confidence in Congress by restricting lawmakers’ ability to trade individual stocks while creating uniform voter identification standards for federal elections. Opponents have raised concerns about the bill’s voter identification requirements and other provisions, with nearly all House Democrats voting against the measure.
The vote quickly became a campaign issue in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District.
Deschutes County Commissioner and Republican congressional candidate Patti Adair criticized Democratic Rep. Janelle Bynum’s vote, arguing that the legislation reflected widespread public support for tighter ethics rules in Congress.
“Since I announced my campaign in November, I have heard from voters in every part of this district. They are all tired of seeing Congress not play by the same rules that they have to,” Adair said in a statement. “Once again, when Janelle Bynum had the chance to support a bipartisan bill, she chose partisanship instead. District 5 deserves better representation.”
Adair also defended the legislation’s stock trading provisions, stating, “The Stop Insider Trading Act prevents lawmakers, their spouses, and dependent children from buying new stocks of publicly traded companies while in office. This bill is widely popular with the American public and has received bipartisan support. It makes you wonder why Janelle Bynum voted no. I would not have even hesitated to vote for this bill because it is the right thing to do.”
Nationally, the legislation received unanimous support from voting House Republicans, while 13 Democrats joined Republicans in voting for final passage.
The bill now advances to the Senate for consideration.
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