Members of Congress are legally allowed to trade stocks, but regulations exist to prevent conflicts of interest. In 2012, former President Barack Obama signed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act, which prohibits lawmakers from using non-public information to gain an unfair advantage in the market and requires them to disclose stock trades within 45 days. Critics, however, say the law is largely toothless — enforcement is weak and violations often result in nothing more than small fines ( ...