Ban Conflicted Trading at the Fed Act

To amend the Federal Reserve Act to prohibit officers of the Federal Reserve from trading certain securities, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Ban Conflicted Trading at the Fed Act 2. STOCK Act Section 4 of the Federal Reserve Act ( 12 U.S.C. 341 et seq. Title I of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), sections 9, 11, 13, and 14 of the STOCK Act ( Public Law 112–105 15 U.S.C. 78u–1(i) . 3. Ban conflicted trades The Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 25C ( 12 U.S.C. 633 25D. Ban conflicted trades (a) Definitions In this section— (1) the term commodity 7 U.S.C. 1a (2) the term covered investment (A) means investment in a security, a commodity, virtual currency, or a future, or any comparable financial interest acquired through synthetic means such as the use of a derivative; and (B) does not include— (i) a diversified mutual fund or investment trust subject to an exemption under section 208(b)(2) of title 18, United States Code, and section 2640.201 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations; or (ii) a United States Treasury bill, note, or bond; (3) the term covered person (A) a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and (B) a president or vice president of a Federal Reserve bank; (4) the term future (5) the term security 15 U.S.C. 78c(a) (6) the term virtual currency (b) Prohibitions Except as provided in subsections (c) and (d), no covered person may— (1) purchase or sell any covered investment; or (2) enter into a transaction that creates a net short position in any security. (c) Exceptions (1) Investments held before taking office (A) In general A covered person may have control over or knowledge of the management of any covered investment held by the covered person as of the day before the date on which the covered person took office. (B) Prohibition on purchasing or selling A covered person may not buy or sell any investment described in subparagraph (A) except in the case of— (i) placing the investment in a qualified blind trust described in subsection (d); or (ii) divesting themselves of any investment under paragraph (2). (2) Divestiture A covered person may sell a covered investment during the 6-month period beginning on— (A) the date on which the covered person takes office or begins employment, as applicable; (B) the date of enactment of this section; or (C) the date on which the covered person receives a covered investment through gift or inheritance. (3) Approval Any transaction described in this subsection shall be approved in accordance with the rules issued under subsection (f). (d) Trusts (1) In general On a case-by-case basis, the designated agency ethics official of the Board of Governors may authorize a covered person to place their securities holdings in a qualified blind trust approved by the Board under section 102(f) (2) Blind trust A blind trust permitted under this subsection shall meet the criteria in section 102(f)(4)(B) (e) Administration and enforcement (1) Administration The provisions of this section shall be administered by the Board. (2) Enforcement Whoever knowingly fails to comply with this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than 10 percent of the value of the covered investment that was purchased or sold or the security in which a net short position was created in violation of this section, as applicable. (f) Other requirements Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Board shall issue rules that require covered persons and senior staff to— (1) provide 45 days advance notice and prior approval for any investment transactions; and (2) hold investments for a minimum of 1 year from the date of the transaction. .

Summary: Ban Conflicted Trading at the Fed Act This bill imposes investment restrictions on certain Federal Reserve employees. Specifically, members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and presidents or vice presidents of a Federal Reserve bank are prohibited from (1) purchasing or selling a specified investment, including an investment in a security, a commodity, virtual currency, or a future; or (2) entering into a transaction that creates a net short position in a security. (A short position is an investment strategy employed when an investor anticipates a short term decrease in the investment's price.) Investments held prior to taking office may not be bought or sold, except for approved placement in a blind trust or divestiture during a specified time period. Further, Federal Reserve bank presidents, vice presidents, and directors must make annual and periodic financial and transaction disclosures. Finally, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System must issue rules within 90 days of enactment requiring Federal Reserve board members, presidents, vice presidents, and senior staff (1) to provide 45 days advance notice of investment transactions, and (2) to hold investments for at least 1 year from the date of transaction.