Hastings was the representative for Florida’s 20th congressional district and was a Democrat. He served from 2013 to 2021.
He was previously the representative for Florida’s 23rd congressional district as a Democrat from 1993 to 2012.
Alleged misconduct & resolution
In 2019, Hastings was alleged to have engaged in improper relationship with a staff member and received improper gifts and/or forebearance from the staff member. The House Committee on Ethics began an investigation. In 2020, the House Committee on Ethics closed the investigation since the employee was his spouse, gifts from family are acceptable and their employment did not violate any House rules when they were hired.
| Nov. 4, 2019 | House Committee on Ethics began an investigation |
| Jun. 12, 2020 | House Committee on Ethics closed the investigation since Hastings employee was his spouse, gifts from family are acceptable and her employment did not violate any House rules when she was hired. |
In 2012 Hastings was investigated for sexual harassment and employment retaliation. The House Committee on Ethics concluded that there was insufficient evidence to act further even though the representative admitted to "less than professional behavior".
| Nov. 8, 2011 | House Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegations |
| Dec. 11, 2014 | House Committee on Ethics concluded that there was insufficient evidence to act further even though the representative admitted to "less than professional behavior" |
In 2010 Hastings was investigated for keeping the difference between his requested travel per diems and the amount he actually spent. The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct recommended no further action.
| Jul. 30, 2010 | House Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct further review the allegations |
| Dec. 31, 2010 | House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct recommended no further action |
![Photo of Rep. Alcee Hastings [D-FL20, 2013-2021]](/static/legislator-photos/400170-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2020 Report Card for Hastings.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Hastings is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot was a member of the House of Representatives in 2020 positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).
The chart is based on the bills Hastings sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Dec 28, 2020. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Enacted Legislation
Hastings was the primary sponsor of 7 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 1271 (111th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2351 West Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach, Florida, as the “Elijah Pat Larkins Post Office …
- H.R. 3168 (110th): Path to Success: Gang Prevention through Community Partnerships Act
- H.R. 2075 (108th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1905 West Blue Heron Boulevard in West Palm Beach, Florida, as the “Judge Edward Rodgers …
- H.R. 3985 (106th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14900 Southwest 30th Street in Miramar City, Florida, as the “Vicki Coceano Post Office Building”.
- H.R. 3055 (105th): Miccosukee Reserved Area Act
- H.R. 1479 (105th): To designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 300 Northeast First Avenue in Miami, Florida, as the “David W. Dyer Federal Courthouse”.
- H.R. 255 (104th): To designate the Federal Justice Building in Miami, Florida, as the “James Lawrence King Federal Justice Building”.
Does 7 not sound like a lot? Very few bills are ever enacted — most legislators sponsor only a handful that are signed into law. But there are other legislative activities that we don’t track that are also important, including offering amendments, committee work and oversight of the other branches, and constituent services.
We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110th Congress).
Bills Sponsored
Issue Areas
Hastings sponsored bills primarily in these issue areas:
International Affairs (39%) Health (20%) Education (12%) Transportation and Public Works (8%) Armed Forces and National Security (5%) Government Operations and Politics (5%) Animals (5%)
Recent Bills
Some of Hastings’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.Res. 253: Celebrating the heritage of Romani Americans.
- H.R. 1744: Humane Research and Testing Act of 2021
- H.R. 1234: Ending Corporal Punishment in Schools Act of 2021
- H.Res. 132: Recognizing people of African descent and Black Europeans.
- H.R. 1134: African Descent Affairs Act of 2021
- H.R. 1136: Federal Jobs Act
- H.R. 1135: LITE Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
Missed Votes
From Jan 1993 to Mar 2021, Hastings missed 1,764 of 18,216 roll call votes, which is 9.7%. This is much worse than the median of 2.1% among the lifetime records of representatives serving in Mar 2021. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses and major life events.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
