US Senate blocks advance of stock-trading and voter-ID bill

The US Senate voted 53–47 on 30 September against a procedural step needed to take up the Stop Insider Trading Act. It needed 60 votes to advance. All 53 Republicans voted in favour; all 45 Democrats and both independent senators voted against. This was not a vote on final passage. [2]

The White House described the result as Democrats unanimously voting against the act. That describes the Senate Democrats’ votes on this step, but not the bill’s entire history: 13 House Democrats supported it when the House passed it in July, CBS News reported. [1] [3] [9]

The House-passed bill would generally bar members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from buying specified investments, including shares in publicly traded companies. They could keep existing holdings and generally sell them after giving seven to 14 days’ public notice. The president and vice-president are not covered by those proposed restrictions. The bill also includes photo-ID requirements for voting in person in federal elections and separate conditions for ballots cast by other means, with specified exceptions. [3]