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.
He was previously the representative for Florida’s 13th congressional district as a Republican from 2007 to 2012.
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 2018 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 liberal–conservative 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 Apr 22, 2019. 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 3 bills that were enacted:
- H.R. 6720: Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2018
- H.R. 253: Family First Prevention Services Act of 2017
- H.R. 91 (114th): Veterans Identification Card Act 2015
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 (32%) Health (18%) Economics and Public Finance (11%) Social Welfare (11%) Immigration (8%) Science, Technology, Communications (8%) Armed Forces and National Security (8%) Families (5%)
Recent Bills
Some of Buchanan’s most recently sponsored bills include...
- H.R. 2226: Fentanyl Sanctions Act
- H.R. 1907: Retirement Security for American Workers Act
- H.R. 1556: Sunshine Protection Act of 2019
- H.J.Res. 5: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to balancing ...
- H.R. 97: RAWR Act
- H.R. 99: Thin Blue Line Act
- H.R. 100: Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2019
Voting Record
Key Votes
| Buchanan’s Vote | Vote Description |
|---|---|
| No |
H.R. 6784: Manage our Wolves Act
Nov 16, 2018. Passed 196/180.
|
| Yea |
H.R. 6157: Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019
Sep 26, 2018. Passed 361/61.
H.R. 6157 provides $674.6 billion in total discretionary budget authority for the Department of Defense for fiscal year (FY) 2019. The bill provides $606.5 billion for the Department of Defense base budget, which is an increase of $17.1 billion above FY18 levels, and $68.1 billion ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 200: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act
Jul 11, 2018. Passed 222/193.
H.R. 200 would amend the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, which addresses U.S. fisheries management and would authorize the annual appropriation of $397 million through 2022 for those purposes. The bill also would require the Secretary of Commerce to request that the National Academy ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 3: Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act
Jun 7, 2018. Passed 210/206.
H.R. 8 rescinds nearly $15 billion of unobligated balances from previously appropriated funding. Specifically, the bill includes 34 rescissions totaling $14.835 billion and affects programs at the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Health and Human Services, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and the Railroad Retirement ... |
| Yea |
H.R. 1039: Probation Officer Protection Act of 2017
May 19, 2017. Passed 229/177.
H.R. 1039 amends the federal criminal code to authorize a probation officer to arrest a person, without warrant, if there is probable cause to believe that person forcibly assaulted or obstructed a probation officer while performing their official duties. The bill also would direct the ... |
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 43: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule submitted by Secretary of Health and Human Services relating ...
Feb 16, 2017. Passed 230/188.
Joe Biden never got the opportunity to break a single 50-50 Senate tie in eight years as vice president. Mike Pence has already broken two. One from last month has since become law: a measure allowing states to withhold federal Planned Parenthood funding. (The other ... |
| Nay |
H.R. 4889: Kelsey Smith Act
May 23, 2016. Failed 229/158.
|
| Aye |
H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 17, 2014. Passed 319/108.
|
| Nay |
H.R. 5972 (112th): Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013
Jun 29, 2012. Passed 261/163.
|
| Aye |
H.R. 1249 (112th): Leahy-Smith America Invents Act
Jun 23, 2011. Passed 304/117.
The Leahy–Smith America Invents Act (AIA) is a United States federal statute that was passed by Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on September 16, 2011. The law represents the most significant legislative change to the U.S. patent system since the ... |
| Yea |
H.Res. 1031 (110th): Providing for the adoption of the resolution (H. Res. 895) establishing within the House of Representatives an ...
Mar 11, 2008. Passed 229/182.
|
Missed Votes
From Jan 2007 to Apr 2019, Buchanan missed 330 of 9,043 roll call votes, which is 3.6%. This is worse than the median of 2.0% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
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
