Doc Hastings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chair of theHouse Natural Resources Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Nick Rahall |
| Succeeded by | Rob Bishop |
| Chair of theHouse Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Hefley |
| Succeeded by | Stephanie Tubbs Jones |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Jay Inslee |
| Succeeded by | Dan Newhouse |
| Member of theWashington House of Representatives from the16th district | |
| In office January 8, 1979 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Kilbury |
| Succeeded by | Bill Grant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Richard Norman Hastings (1941-02-07)February 7, 1941 (age 84) Spokane, Washington, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Claire Hastings |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Columbia Basin College Central Washington University |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army Reserve |
| Years of service | 1963–1969 |
| Rank | Specialist 4 |
Hastings opposing the Obama administration'soffshore drilling plan. Recorded July 25, 2012 | |
Richard Norman "Doc" Hastings (born February 7, 1941) is an American politician and member of theRepublican Party who served as theU.S. representative forWashington's 4th congressional district from 1995 until his retirement in 2015. The district includes much ofcentral Washington including theTri-Cities,Yakima, andMoses Lake. The most conservative Republican in Washington's Congressional delegation,[1][2] he chaired theHouse Committee on Ethics from 2005 to 2007 and chaired theHouse Committee on Natural Resources from 2011 to his leaving office.
Hastings retired in 2015 after declining to run for re-electionin 2014.[3]
Richard Norman Hastings was born inSpokane, Washington to Ivan and Florene Hastings; he is of part Norwegian ancestry on the maternal side of his family.[4][5] He served in theUnited States Army Reserve from 1964 to 1969.[6]
He studied business administration atColumbia Basin College andCentral Washington State College, but did not graduate from either. He was named Columbia Basin Alumni of the Year in 2001.[7] He returned to Central Washington ascommencement speaker in 2008.[8]
Before being elected to Congress, Hastings ran his family-owned small business, Columbia Basin Paper and Supply. He was an active member of thePascoChamber of Commerce, the Pasco/KennewickRotary Club, the Pasco Downtown Development Association, and the PascoJaycees.
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]
Hastings served in theWashington 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]
He served on theHouse Tax Advisory Committee.
Incumbent RepublicanSid Morrison, ofWashington's 4th congressional district, decided to retire in 1992 in order to run forGovernor of Washington. Hastings ran, but lost in the general election toDemocratic State RepresentativeJay 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 in1994, 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]
In response toProject Vote Smart, Hastings wrote, "Top priorities must be creating jobs, getting our economy back on track, and stopping reckless spending that has left our nation with the largestdeficit in history".[26] TheSeattle 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 theArctic 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]
Hastings has a lifetime score of 3% from the League of Conservation Voters.[28]
Hastings is rated as one of the most pro-business representatives in Congress, according to theUnited States Chamber of Commerce which gives Hastings a score of 94 out of 100 based on his 16-year voting record.[29] The501(c)4 organizationClub for Growth gave Hastings a grade of 94 out of 100.[30]
TheNational Taxpayers Union gives Hastings a grade of A.[31] Hastings has been given an 'A' grade byLiz Cheney's Keep America Safe PAC[32] He earned a 95.15% lifetime rating, as of 2010, from theAmerican Conservative Union.[33]
Hastings is pro-life, demonstrated by consistent ratings of 100% from theNational Right to Life Committee. He has received mixed ratings from some national agricultural groups. For 2009–2010 theAmerican Farm Bureau Federation gave Representative Hastings a 66% rating.[26] His rating from theNational 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-affiliatedNational Education Association, and 0% from theAmerican Association of University Women. In 2009–10,Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Hastings a grade of "D".[26]
Hastings was instrumental in 2002 in building the case that led to the expulsion of CongressmanJames 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, lobbyistJack Abramoff and his firm had as many as 36 contacts with Hastings' office, resulting in as many as 85.57 billed hours regarding theCommonwealth 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'sJim 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 LeaderTom 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 ofCharlie 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 powerfulWays and Means Committee and censure by the House in 2010.
Hastings chaired theCommittee on Standards of Official Conduct, also known as the House Ethics Committee from 2005 to 2007,(109th United States Congress) replacing outgoing chairmanJoel Hefley.
In 1967, Hastings married his wife, Claire, inSacramento, California; the couple has three children: Kirsten, Petrina, and Colin, and has 8 grandchildren.
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Jay Inslee | 106,556 | 51% | Richard Hastings | 103,028 | 49% | ||||||||
| 1994 | Jay Inslee | 81,198 | 47% | Richard Hastings | 92,828 | 53% | ||||||||
| 1996 | Rick Locke | 96,502 | 47% | Richard Hastings | 108,647 | 53% | ||||||||
| 1998 | Gordon Allen Pross | 43,043 | 24% | Richard Hastings | 121,684 | 69% | Peggy S. McKerlie | Reform | 11,363 | 6% | ||||
| 2000 | Jim Davis | 87,585 | 37% | Richard Hastings | 143,259 | 61% | Fred D. Krauss | Libertarian | 4,260 | 2% | ||||
| 2002 | Craig Mason | 53,572 | 33% | Richard Hastings | 108,257 | 67% | ||||||||
| 2004 | Sandy Matheson | 92,486 | 37% | Richard Hastings | 154,627 | 63% | ||||||||
| 2006 | Richard Wright | 77,054 | 40% | Richard Hastings | 115,246 | 60% | ||||||||
| 2008 | George Fearing | 99,430 | 37% | Richard Hastings | 169,940 | 63% | ||||||||
| 2010 | Jay Clough | 69,512 | 32% | Richard Hastings | 145,317 | 68% |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's 4th congressional district 1995–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Ethics Committee 2005–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Ethics Committee 2007–2009 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ranking Member of theHouse Natural Resources Committee 2009–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Natural Resources Committee 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former U.S. Representative | Order of precedence of the United States as Former U.S. Representative | Succeeded byas Former U.S. Representative |
