Benzinga·2026-01-16 11:41Core Points - Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) reportedly violated the STOCK Act by failing to disclose 224 stock and bond trades within the required 45-day reporting window [2][5] - The value of these trades ranges between $225,000 and $3.3 million, including shares of major companies like Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, and Meta [3][4] - Letlow's office acknowledged the violation, stating that the trades were managed by Merrill Lynch without her direct involvement [5] Legislative Context - There is a bipartisan movement to ban members of Congress and their families from owning or trading individual stocks, highlighted by the introduction of the Restore Trust in Congress Act [6] - The STOCK Act, signed into law in 2012, mandates that members of Congress disclose transactions over $1,000 within 45 days, with penalties for violations [7] - Recent scrutiny of congressional trades has been fueled by instances of late disclosures from other lawmakers, indicating a broader issue of compliance with the STOCK Act [8][9]