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PRINTER'S NO. 1646
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No. 276
Session of
2026
INTRODUCED BY L. WILLIAMS, HAYWOOD, PISCIOTTANO, TARTAGLIONE,
FONTANA, CAPPELLETTI, KEARNEY, COMITTA, COSTA AND VOGEL,
APRIL 23, 2026
REFERRED TO BANKING AND INSURANCE, APRIL 23, 2026
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to ban insider stock
trading and betting in prediction markets.
WHEREAS, Public service demands the highest standards of
integrity, impartiality and dedication to the public good and
elected and appointed officials must be held to those standards
in both their official duties and their personal financial
conduct; and
WHEREAS, Members of Congress, the President, the Vice
President and members of the Presidential Cabinet regularly
receive confidential, nonpublic information, including
intelligence briefings, advance notice of policy decisions and
classified national security information in the course of
carrying out their official duties; and
WHEREAS, Reports have emerged indicating that public
officials may have purchased or sold securities in a manner that
suggests the use of nonpublic, privileged government information
ahead of legislative votes, regulatory actions or significant
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policy announcements; and
WHEREAS, Reports have further indicated that public officials
may have placed financial wagers on prediction markets in
connection with pending government actions, including military
operations and foreign policy decisions, in a manner that raises
serious concerns about conflicts of interest and the misuse of
classified information; and
WHEREAS, Such conduct undermines public trust in the
institutions of government and demeans every public servant who
acts in good faith and with integrity on behalf of the American
people; and
WHEREAS, The integrity of American democracy depends upon
public confidence that the decisions of elected and appointed
officials are made solely in the interest of the nation and its
people, free from personal financial considerations; and
WHEREAS, The Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania avers
that no Member of Congress, the President, the Vice President or
any member of the Presidential Cabinet should purchase, sell,
trade or hold covered investments, including individual stocks,
derivatives or other securities, in a manner that may be
influenced by nonpublic information obtained through the
exercise of their official duties; and
WHEREAS, The Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
further avers that no official should participate in, wager on
or otherwise derive personal financial benefit from prediction
markets, future contracts or similar financial instruments in
connection with government actions, policy decisions,
legislative outcomes or events over which the official has
knowledge or influence by virtue of their public role; therefore
be it
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RESOLVED, That the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
urge the Congress of the United States to ban insider stock
trading and betting in prediction markets to demonstrate its
commitment to the principle that public office is a public
trust, not a vehicle for personal enrichment, by co-sponsoring
and passing legislation without delay that:
(1) prohibits members of Congress, the President, the
Vice President and members of the Presidential Cabinet from
purchasing, selling or holding individual stocks, securities,
derivatives or other covered investments, whether directly or
through accounts over which they exercise control;
(2) prohibits such officials from participating in
prediction markets or placing financial bets on outcomes
related to government activity, policy, legislation or
national security events;
(3) requires divestiture of covered investments within a
reasonable period following election, appointment or
enactment of such legislation;
(4) establishes meaningful civil and criminal penalties
for violations; and
(5) designates an independent enforcement authority with
adequate resources to investigate and prosecute violations
without political interference.
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