Buchanan is the representative for Florida’s 16th congressional district (view map) and is a Republican. He has served since Jan 3, 2013. Buchanan is next up for reelection in 2020 and serves until Jan 3, 2021.
He was previously the representative for Florida’s 13th congressional district as a Republican from 2007 to 2012.
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Alleged misconduct & resolution
In 2012 Buchanan was investigated for improperly influencing a witness before the FEC and illegally reimbursing campaign contributors. The House Committee on Ethics concluded that there was insufficient evidence on the allegation of witness tampering, but that the illegal reimbursements did occur, albeit without the representative's knowledge.
| May. 9, 2012 | House Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegations |
| Jun. 24, 2016 | House Committee on Ethics concluded that there was insufficient evidence on the allegation of witness tampering, but that the illegal reimbursements did occur, albeit without the Representative's knowledge |
In 2011 Buchanan was investigated for failing to report positions he held with outside companies and to report unearned income from 2007 to 2010. The House Committee on Ethics concluded that the representative unknowingly failed to disclose positions in outside companies and unearned income. They were satisfied when the representative amended his forms.
| Nov. 8, 2011 | House Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegations |
| Jul. 10, 2012 | House Committee on Ethics concluded that the representative unknowingly failed to disclose positions in outside companies and unearned income They were satisfied when the representative amended his forms |
![Photo of Rep. Vern Buchanan [R-FL16]](/static/legislator-photos/412196-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2019 Report Card for Buchanan.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Buchanan is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the House of Representatives 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 Buchanan has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 6, 2015 to Oct 20, 2020. See full analysis methodology.
Ratings from Advocacy Organizations
Committee Membership
Vern Buchanan sits on the following committees:
Enacted Legislation
Buchanan was the primary sponsor of 5 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 97: Rescuing Animals With Rewards Act of 2019
- H.R. 2226: Fentanyl Sanctions Act
- H.R. 6720 (115th): Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2018
- H.R. 253 (115th): Family First Prevention Services Act of 2017
- H.R. 91 (114th): Veterans Identification Card Act 2015
Does 5 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
Buchanan sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Taxation (35%) Health (16%) Immigration (10%) Crime and Law Enforcement (10%) Science, Technology, Communications (10%) International Affairs (6%) Social Welfare (6%) Families (6%)
Recent Bills
Some of Buchanan’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 8580: To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the ...
- H.R. 8236: CREEPER Act 2.0
- H.R. 7505: American Innovation Act of 2020
- H.R. 6708: Securing America’s Medicine Cabinet Act of 2020
- H.R. 4002: Everyday Philanthropist Act
- H.R. 2226: Fentanyl Sanctions Act
- H.R. 1907: Retirement Security for American Workers Act
Voting Record
Key Votes
Missed Votes
From Jan 2007 to Oct 2020, Buchanan missed 364 of 9,795 roll call votes, which is 3.7%. This is worse than the median of 2.3% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. 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
