The STOCK Act of 2012 requires members of Congress to publicly disclose covered securities transactions over $1,000, including trades by their spouses and dependent children, within 45 days of the transaction. Inside the Capitol turns those filings into a searchable feed. This article explains what the filings contain and what they leave out.
What gets disclosed
- Purchases and sales of stocks, bonds, ETFs, and options.
- The transaction date, the filing date, the asset, and an amount range (for example, $1,001 to $15,000 or $15,001 to $50,000).
- Who owns the asset: the member, a spouse, or a dependent child.
What is missing on purpose
- Exact amounts. Only ranges are required.
- Execution prices. Filings do not say what price a trade filled at.
- Cost basis and holdings. There is no running inventory of positions, just individual transactions.
How it works
- Open Inside the Capitol from the Research menu.
- Browse the recent trades feed. Each row shows the member, party, chamber, state, ticker, buy or sell, and the disclosed amount range.
- Rows are dated by transaction date when the filing provides one, and by filing date otherwise.
- Open a member’s profile to see their filing history, including their average reporting time in days.
Ezana shows the amount ranges as filed. It does not add or adjust amounts.
Things to know
- Why trades appear late. The 45-day rule is often missed. The standard late fee is $200 and can be waived, so some members file months after trading. A long average reporting time on a profile is a sign of this.
- Spouse trades are included. The law covers spouses and dependents too.
- Beta access. During the beta, Inside the Capitol may show a “coming in v1.0” notice for some accounts.
Next in Research Tools: How Congressional Trading Data Works and Following Specific Politicians.
Related articles
- How Congressional Trading Data Works
- Top Performing Politicians Methodology
- Interpreting Congressional Trade Data
FAQ
Q: What’s the penalty for late filing?
A: The standard fee is $200 and can be waived, which is why late filings are common.
Q: Are options included?
A: Yes. Options, stocks, bonds, and ETFs are all covered transactions.
Q: Can I see the exact dollar amount of a trade?
A: No. Filings only report a range, and Ezana shows it as filed.