When our founders designed our system of government, they intended for public office to be about service, not self-enrichment. Yet today, too many Americans believe Congress plays by a different set of rules — rules that allow lawmakers to profit from inside information and erode trust in the very institution we are sworn to uphold. That loss of trust is a crisis for representative democracy.

That is why, after being sworn in to my first term earlier this year, I divested from all of my own company-specific, publicly traded stock holdings. I did so because I wanted my constituents to know, without question, that when I cast a vote or consider a bill, I am thinking only about what is best for them — not about how it might affect my stock portfolio.

In my view, it is not only imperative that we eliminate as many conflicts of interest as possible from elected office, but that we remove even the appearance of those conflicts. And the good news is, I’m not the only one who feels this way.

Last week, I helped lead the Restore Trust in Congress Act, a bipartisan effort to ban members of Congress, along with their spouses and........

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