New HUMBLE Act Bans Congressional Stock Ownership and Ends Automatic Pay Raises

The new Halt Unchecked Member Benefits with Lobbying Elimination Act—or the HUMBLE Act—is aiming to overhaul how Congress operates, from how they travel to how they manage their personal finances. This bill is essentially a massive ethics and accountability package, hitting everything from the revolving door to automatic salary adjustments. It’s a straight-up attempt to clean up the appearance of self-dealing and special privileges.

The End of the Revolving Door and Fancy Flights

First up, the act puts a much longer leash on the "revolving door." Under Section 2, if you’re a former Senator, Representative, or elected officer of Congress, you can’t immediately pivot to lobbying your old colleagues. The bill puts a hard ban on former members “knowingly try[ing] to influence any Member, officer, or employee of Congress.” This is meant to keep former officials from cashing in immediately on their connections. For the rest of us, this means potentially fewer well-connected insiders whispering in the ears of current lawmakers right after leaving office.

Next, say goodbye to first-class travel on the taxpayer dime. Section 3 mandates that starting in Fiscal Year 2026, official travel funds for Members of Congress and their staff can only be used for coach-class airline tickets. They can only upgrade if a regular federal agency employee subject to the standard travel regulations could also upgrade—which usually means only for specific medical reasons or if coach is somehow unavailable. This provision aligns Congressional travel with the rules most federal employees follow, offering a clear cost-saving measure for taxpayers and ending what many see as an unnecessary perk.

No More Perks and No More Stocks

If you were a Representative and were looking forward to using your old Capitol Hill perks after leaving office, think again. Section 4 eliminates access to several post-service benefits for former Representatives, including the Members Dining Room, reserved parking, and access to athletic facilities. The only way around this is if the Speaker and the Minority Leader jointly grant a case-by-case waiver, which must be publicly disclosed in the Congressional Record within 24 hours. While the public disclosure requirement is good for transparency, the ability for leadership to grant exceptions means political favors could still be exchanged, just with a spotlight on them.

Perhaps the most talked-about provision is in Section 5, which bans Members of the House (Representatives, Delegates, and the Resident Commissioner) from owning individual stocks. They won’t be allowed to hold common stock in single companies anymore. This is a huge move to eliminate the appearance of insider trading and conflicts of interest. However, this rule doesn’t kick in until January 3, 2027, giving current members nearly three years to sort out their portfolios. Additionally, Section 7 bans House Members from serving on the boards of any for-profit entities, further separating their legislative duties from corporate interests.

Stopping the Automatic Pay Raise

Finally, the HUMBLE Act takes aim at Congressional compensation. Section 6 repeals the existing mechanism that automatically adjusts Congressional pay, effectively ending the automatic annual cost-of-living raises. This change applies to pay periods starting after the next general federal election following the bill’s enactment. While this sounds great to taxpayers, it means that any future Congressional pay increase will require a separate, explicit vote by Congress. This removes the political convenience of getting a raise without having to cast a politically difficult vote, forcing lawmakers to own their compensation decisions.