Elections

In 1978, Hastings ran for Washington's 16th House District (seat 2). He defeated incumbent Democratic State Representative Charles Kilbury 62%–38%.^[9] In 1980, he won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Dorothy Miller 70%–30%.^[10] In 1982, he was re-elected to a third term against Democrat Sandy Dodd by 55%–45%.^[11] In 1984, he won re-election to a fourth term, defeating Democrat Bill Grant 52%–48%.^[12]

Tenure

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.^[13] He voluntarily left the Legislature, claiming family reasons.^[14]

Committee assignments

Official 109th Congressional photo

He served on the House Tax Advisory Committee.

Elections

Incumbent Republican Sid Morrison, of Washington's 4th congressional district, decided to retire in 1992 in order to run for Governor of Washington. Hastings ran, but lost in the general election to Democratic State Representative Jay Inslee, 51%–49%.^[15] 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.^[15]

Hastings sought a rematch against Inslee in 1994, and defeated him, 53%–47%, winning eight of the district's ten counties.^[16] In 1996, he was re-elected to a second term, defeating Democrat Rick Locke 53%–47%.^[17] He never faced another contest anywhere near that close, and was reelected eight more times with at least 60% of the vote.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]}

Tenure

Earlier official photo of Hastings

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.^[26] The Seattle Post-Intelligencer considers Hastings to be a "down-the-line supporter of the House Republican leadership".^[2]

Hastings has served as Chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources since January 2011 and is a proponent of increasing domestic production of oil and gas, including drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. In November 2010 he said that "Promoting new domestic energy production, including in the Arctic, will be a priority" for the committee.^[27]

Interest group ratings

Hastings has a lifetime score of 3% from the League of Conservation Voters.^[28]

Hastings during the 112th United States Congress

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.^[29] The 501(c)4 organization Club for Growth gave Hastings a grade of 94 out of 100.^[30]

The National Taxpayers Union gives Hastings a grade of A.^[31] Hastings has been given an 'A' grade by Liz Cheney's Keep America Safe PAC^[32] He earned a 95.15% lifetime rating, as of 2010, from the American Conservative Union.^[33]

Hastings is pro-life, demonstrated by consistent ratings of 100% from the National Right to Life Committee. He has received mixed ratings from some national agricultural groups. For 2009–2010 the American Farm Bureau Federation gave Representative Hastings a 66% rating.^[26] His rating from the National Association of Wheat Growers was 25 percent in 2008.^[26]

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. In 2009–10, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Hastings a grade of "D".^[26]

Controversies

Hastings was instrumental in 2002 in building the case that led to the expulsion of Congressman James Traficant (I-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.^[34]

In 1996, lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his firm had as many as 36 contacts with Hastings' office, resulting in as many as 85.57 billed hours regarding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.^[35] Abramoff bragged to the CNMI of having "excellent" ties to Hastings.^[36] 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.^[37]

Following Hastings' work that led to Traficant's removal from the House, he was named to the Chairmanship of the 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. Hastings came under fire during his chairmanship of the Ethics Committee, due to claims by Democrats of inaction regarding then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. By rule, the House Ethics Committee's work, votes, and investigative findings are kept strictly confidential.^[38]

In 2008, Hastings, by now the ranking member of the Ethics Committee, pushed the investigation of Charlie Rangel.^[39] 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.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Natural Resources (chairman)
  • As chairman of the full committee, Hastings may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.

Hastings chaired the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the House Ethics Committee from 2005 to 2007,(109th United States Congress) replacing outgoing chairman Joel Hefley. He switched to ranking member 2007–2009 when the Democrats won the majority for the 110th United States Congress.

Caucus memberships

• 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

• On April 12, 2013, Hastings introduced the Restoring Healthy Forests for Healthy Communities Act (H.R. 1526; 113th Congress). The bill would direct the United States Department of Agriculture to establish at least one Forest Reserve Revenue Area within each unit of the National Forest System designated for sustainable forest management for the production of national forest materials (the sale of trees, portions of trees, or forest products from System lands) and forest reserve revenues (to be derived from the sale of such materials in such an Area).^[40] The bill states that the purpose of an Area is to provide a dependable source of 25% payments and economic activity for each beneficiary county containing System land that was eligible to receive payments through its state under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000.^[40]
• On June 19, 2014, Hastings introduced the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014 (H.R. 4899; 113th Congress). The bill would revise existing laws and policies regarding the development of oil and gas resources on the Outer Continental Shelf.^[41] The bill is intended to increase domestic energy production and lower gas prices.^[42][43] Hastings argued that "the current turmoil in Iraq has already caused the price of gasoline to increase, and it serves as an important reminder of why we need to increase production here at home" because it is the "best way to protect ourselves from price spikes caused by international conflicts."^[42]