Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she plans to file a discharge petition in an attempt to force Congress to vote on a congressional stock trading ban when the House returns from its summer recess, Politico said.
The bill, co-written with Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. would bar legislators' ability to trade individual securities.
A bipartisan coalition in the House has been trying to generate a path forward for the bill that would ban stock trading but have been unable to reach a compromise among several competing bills, Politico reported.
Lawmakers opposed to the bill have expressed concern about the tax implications of divesting their portfolios, Politico reported.
Luna's discharge petition comes after a House Ethics Committee determined the wife of Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., bought stock in a steelmaker after an investigation by Kelly's office determined tariffs could benefit the company — but before the investigation was made public.
"It is rare for the Committee to recommend divestment of stocks where there is a potential appearance of a conflict of interest," committee members wrote in their report. "As Representative Kelly himself noted, however, he is an 'insider' when it comes to Cleveland-Cliffs, by virtue of his position as the representative for his district."
The panel encouraged the Kellys to divest their holdings.
Discharge petitions allow representatives to bring a bill or resolution that has been referred to committee but not reported, according to congressional rules. Forcing a vote requires getting signatures from a majority of the House.
Luna previously pursued a discharge petition over an effort to secure proxy voting for parents of newborns.
A 2012 law bans lawmakers from making stock trades based on insider knowledge.
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