By Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON, Sept 30 - The US Senate on Wednesday blocked legislation placing new restrictions on stock trading by members of Congress, as Democrats refused to provide enough votes to advance the measure toward passage, arguing ‌that it falls short of a full ban.

By a vote of 53-47, the Senate halted a Republican drive to ‌open debate on the partisan bill, which was passed in July by the House of Representatives. Sixty affirmative votes were needed to get the legislation over a ​Senate procedural hurdle.

For years, voters have expressed outrage over the thousands of stock trades by lawmakers that many argue are improper given lawmakers' privileged position.

Members of Congress shape legislation, often behind closed doors, and at the same time execute trades on stocks and bonds whose prices could be affected by actions in the House and Senate.

The legislation also c...