Legislative Integrity and Accountability Act: Open-Source Model Legislation for Preventing Congressional Financial Conflicts and Protecting Public Trust

The Legislative Integrity and Accountability Act is open-source model legislation designed to prevent congressional financial conflicts of interest.

The Act restricts personal trading in issuer-specific financial instruments by Members of Congress, spouses of Members, and senior congressional staff, while preserving ordinary saving, retirement, and broad market participation through diversified, non-conflict-bearing investment vehicles.

The model act is designed as a prospective conflict-prevention statute rather than an after-the-fact disclosure-only system. It includes rules for covered individuals, issuer-specific financial instruments, permitted diversified investments, qualified ultra-blind trusts, divestiture and transition, machine-readable disclosures, a public GAO portal, annual audits, enforcement, anti-evasion, safe harbor guidance, judicial review, severability, sunset, and reauthorization.

The Act is drafted to defend its own constitutional boundaries. It states that it regulates conflict-bearing financial conduct incident to public office and does not add a qualification for congressional office, punish legislative acts, inquire into legislative motive, or prohibit diversified investment. It includes construction rules and savings clauses addressing Qualifications Clause and Speech or Debate Clause risks.

This is not legal advice and not enacted law. It is a public model statute offered for adaptation, criticism, improvement, and civic use.