This article is about the U.S. Representative from Washington. For the Canadian footballer, see
Richard Hastings.
Richard Norman «Doc» Hastings |
|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Washington‘s 4th district |
Incumbent |
Assumed office
January 3, 1995 |
Preceded by |
Jay Inslee |
Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources |
Incumbent |
Assumed office
January 3, 2011 |
Preceded by |
Nick Rahall |
Chairman of the House Committee on Ethics |
In office
January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 |
Preceded by |
Joel Hefley |
Succeeded by |
Stephanie Tubbs Jones |
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the 16th district |
In office
January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1987 |
Preceded by |
Charles Kilbury |
Succeeded by |
Bill Grant |
Personal details |
Born |
February 7, 1941 (age 73)
Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
Political party |
Republican |
Spouse(s) |
Claire Hastings; 3 children |
Residence |
Pasco, Washington, U.S. |
Alma mater |
Pasco High School |
Occupation |
Former small businessman |
Religion |
Presbyterian |
Military service |
Service/branch |
United States Army Reserve[1] |
Years of service |
1963–1969[1] |
Rank |
Specialist 4[1] |
Richard Norman «Doc» Hastings (born February 7, 1941) is the U.S. Representative forWashington’s 4th congressional district, serving since 1995. He is a member of theRepublican Party. The district includes much of central Washington including the Tri-Cities,Yakima, and Moses Lake. In February 2014, Hastings announced he would stand down at the following election.[2]
Early life, education, and business career[edit]
Richard Norman Hastings was born in Spokane, Washington to Ivan and Florene Hastings.[3] He served in the United States Army Reserve from 1964 to 1969.[4]
He studied business administration at Columbia Basin College and Central Washington College, but did not graduate from either. He was named Columbia Basin Alumni of the Year in 2001.[5] He returned to Central Washington as commencement speaker in 2008.[6]
Before being elected to Congress, Hastings ran his family-owned small business, Columbia Basin Paper and Supply. He was an active member of the Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Pasco/Kennewick Rotary Club, the Pasco Downtown Development Association, and the Pasco Jaycees. He served on the Board of Directors of Yakima Federal Savings.[citation needed]
Washington House of Representatives[edit]
Elections[edit]
In 1978, Hastings ran for Washington’s 16th House District (seat 2). He defeated incumbent Democrat State Representative Charles Kilbury 62%-38%.[7]
In 1980, he won re-election to a second term defeating Democrat Dorothy Miller 70%-30%.[8]
In 1982, he won re-election to a third term defeating Democrat Sandy Dodd 55%-45%. [9]
In 1984, he won re-election to a fourth term defeating Democrat Bill Grant 52%-48%. [10]
Hastings served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1979 to 1987, where he was selected by his colleagues to be Assistant Majority Leader and Republican Caucus Chairman. In 1983, he challenged the constitutionality of the state’s 1.1% sales tax hike.[11] He voluntarily left the Legislature, claiming family reasons.[12]
Committee assignments[edit]
Official 109th Congressional photo
He served on the House Tax Advisory Committee.
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
Elections[edit]
- 1992
Incumbent U.S. Congressman Sid Morrison, of Washington’s 4th congressional district, decided to retire in order to run for Governor of Washington. Hastings ran, but lost in the general election to Democratic State Representative Jay Inslee, 51%-49%.[13] Although Hastings carried the Tri-Cities, he lost the rest of the district. He won three (Benton, Franklin, and Adams) of the district’s ten counties.[13]
- 1994
Hastings sought a rematch against Inslee in 1994, and defeated Inslee, 53%-47%, winning eight of the district’s ten counties.[14]
- 1996
He won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Rick Locke 53%-47%. [15]
- 1998-2008
During this time period, he has won re-election with at least 60% of the vote.[citation needed]
- 2010
Hastings was challenged by Democrat Jay Clough, a nuclear waste cleanup contractor and USMC veteran. Hastings defeated him, 68%-32%.[16]
- 2012
He won reelection against Democrat Mary Baechler with 66% of the vote.[17]
- Controversies
Earlier official photo of Hastings
Hastings was instrumental in 2002 in building the case that led to the expulsion of Congressman James Traficant (D-OH) from the United States Congress. As Chairman of the Investigative Subcommittee of the United States House Committee on Ethics, Hastings was tasked with reviewing the file from Traficant’s trial and other material to determine if there had been a violation of House rules. Hastings said on the floor of the House, «After considering all of the evidence, I concluded that Mr. Traficant’s offenses were so serious and so purposeful that expulsion from the House is the only appropriate sanction«. The measure to remove Traficant from the House passed 420-1.[18]
In 1996, lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his firm had as many as 36 contacts with Hasting’s office, resulting in as many as 85.57 billed hours regarding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.[19] Abramoff bragged to the CNMI of having «excellent» ties to Hastings.[20] Hastings’ 2004 campaign had received $1,000 from Abramoff personally and an additional $5,647 from Abramoff’s lobbying firm, which was also one of the largest law firms in the State of Washington, Preston Gates. Preston Gates, Microsoft‘s law and lobbying firm, also contributed to Washington Democrats during that cycle, including to Seattle’s Jim McDermott.[21]
Following Hastings’ work that led to Traficant’s removal from the House, he was named to the Chairmanship of what was then a dysfunctional United States House Committee on Ethics. Soon after being named Chairman, two senior staff members for the committee were fired, and Hastings attempted to place his office Chief of Staff, Ed Cassidy, onto the Ethics Committee staff. Democrats cast this a partisan move, while Republicans pointed out that such a change in staff is the norm with the naming of a new committee chairman. The claim that Hastings fired the entire committee staff to protect Tom DeLay remains unsubstantiated. Hastings came under fire during his chairmanship of the Ethics Committee, due to perceived inaction regarding the unethical conduct of then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. By rule, the House Ethics Committee’s work, votes, and investigative findings are kept strictly confidential.[22]
In 2008, Hastings, by now the ranking member of the Ethics Committee, pushed the investigation of Charlie Rangel.[23] A four-person investigative subcommittee was formed with Hastings as co-chair. The subcommittee’s subsequent report led to Rangel’s loss of the chairmanship of the powerful Ways and Means Committee and censure by the House in 2010.
- Political positions
«Top priorities must be creating jobs, getting our economy back on track, and stopping reckless spending that has left our nation with the largest deficit in history,» wrote Hastings in response to Project Vote Smart.[24]
Hastings is Chairman of the United States House Committee on Natural Resources and is a proponent of increasing domestic production of oil and gas, including drilling in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. He said, «Promoting new domestic energy production, including in the Arctic, will be a priority,» for the House National Resources Committee.[25]
Hastings is not affiliated with the Tea Party movement and voted against most members of his party to reopen the government and end the United States federal government shutdown of 2013.[26]
- Interest group ratings
Hastings as a representative
Hastings is rated as one of the most pro-business representatives in Congress, according to the United States Chamber of Commerce which gives Hastings a score of 94 out of 100 based on his 16-year voting record.[27] The fiscally conservative 501(c)4 organization Club for Growth gave Hastings a grade of 94 out of 100.[28]
The National Taxpayers Union gives Hastings a grade of A.[29] Hastings has been given an ‘A’ grade by Keep America Safe, a national security PAC formed by Liz Cheney.[30] He earned a 95.15% lifetime rating, as of 2010, from the American Conservative Union.[31]
Hastings is pro-life, demonstrated by consistent ratings of 100% from the National Right to Life Committee. Richard Hastings has received mixed ratings from some national agricultural groups. For 2009-2010 the American Farm Bureau Federation gave Representative Hastings a 66% rating. [24] His rating from the National Association of Wheat Growers was 25 percent in 2008.[24] He rates low with unions. In 2009 and 2010, he received grades of «D» and «F» from the teachers union-affiliated National Education Association, and 0% from the American Association of University Women. He has rated poorly with some environmental groups, receiving most recently 0% from the League of Conservation voters, and only 8% from Republicans for Environmental Protection.[24] In 2009-10 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Hastings a grade of «D».[24]
Committee assignments[edit]
Rep. Hastings was formerly the ranking member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the House Ethics Committee, and a past chair of that committee. He replaced Joel Hefley as chairman in 2005 when Hefley’s term expired. He chaired the Ethics Committee for the duration of the 109th Congress and switched to ranking member when the Democrats won the majority for the 110th Congress.[citation needed]
Caucus memberships[edit]
- House Nuclear Clean-Up Caucus (Chairman and founder)
- Northwest Energy Caucus (Co-chair)
- Rural Health Care Coalition
- Specialty Crop Caucus
- Hastings is the senior Republican in Congress from the Pacific Northwest.
Legislation sponsored[edit]
Personal life[edit]
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