House Passes Congressional Insider Trading Ban, 417-2

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., defended the bill, saying the 417-2 vote showed bipartisan support. Like the Senate version, it requires lawmakers, their employees and senior members of Executive Branch agencies to disclose stock trades within 30 days.

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Democrats - none of whom voted against the measure - vowed to restore the deleted provisions before the bill is sent to President Barack Obama, who has promised a swift signature.

QUIETING EFFECT

Even without the language that would require political intelligence operatives to register under lobbying laws, some experts say, the bill will change the way Capitol Hill works.

Congressional staffers, who freely trade gossip about legislative dealings over coffee, cocktails and in the back corridors of the Capitol, may start to clam up, for fear of spilling "insider" information that could spark damaging investigations, said Michael Mayhew, the founder of Integrity Research Associates, which advises fund managers on research compliance issues.

"Information has been the currency in D.C., and they're going to learn that some of that is going to be off limits," he said. "That is going to change behavior."

Still, the clean-government bill has attracted massive support as lawmakers seek to polish their images after nasty fights over taxes and spending soured Americans on Congress.

But even a bill aimed at reaffirming the public's trust in Congress has failed to silence the usual partisan bickering.

PELOSI PROVISION

Many Democrats accused Cantor of caving in to Wall Street for dropping the provision to force registration of political intelligence operatives.