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'{{Infobox officeholder | name=Matt Gaetz | image name=Matt Gaetz.jpg | caption= | state= [[Florida]] | district= {{ushr|FL|1|1st}} | term_start= January 3, 2017 | term_end= | predecessor= [[Jeff Miller (Florida politician)|Jeff Miller]] | successor= | state_house1=Florida | state1=Florida | district1=4th | term_start1=April 13, 2010 | term_end1=November 8, 2016 | predecessor1=[[Ray Sansom]] | successor1=[[Mel Ponder]] | birth_date={{birth date and age|1982|5|7}} | birth_place=[[Hollywood, Florida]], U.S. | death_date= | death_place= | alma_mater=[[Florida State University]] (B.S.)<br>[[College of William and Mary]] (J.D.) | profession=[[Lawyer|Attorney]] | residence = [[Fort Walton Beach, Florida]] | religion=[[Baptists|Baptist]] | party=[[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] |website = {{url|gaetz.house.gov/|House website}} |}} '''Matthew Gaetz''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɡ|eɪ|t|s}}; born May 7, 1982) is an [[Attorneys in the United States|American attorney]] and [[politician]] who has been the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] for {{ushr|FL|1}} since 2017. A [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], he was a member of the [[Florida House of Representatives]], representing the 4th District, which includes most of [[Okaloosa County, Florida|Okaloosa County]], from 2010 to 2016. Gaetz is the son of [[Florida]] [[politician]] [[Don Gaetz]], who represented parts of [[Florida Panhandle|Northwest Florida]] as a member of the [[Florida State Senate]] from 2006 to 2016 and served as [[President of the Florida Senate|Senate President]] from 2012 to 2014. Gaetz' grandfather, Jerry Gaetz, was the mayor of [[Rugby, North Dakota]] and a candidate for [[Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota]] at the 1964 [[North Dakota Republican Party]] state convention, where he died of a heart attack while his son watched television coverage of the event.<ref name="rising fast">{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/gop-lawmaker-don-gaetz-is-rising-fast-as-a-state-senate-leader/436807|title=GOP lawmaker Don Gaetz is rising fast as a state Senate leader|date=March 30, 2008|accessdate=May 20, 2015|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|first=Shannon|last=Colavecchio-Van Sickler}}</ref> ==Early life and education== Gaetz was born in [[Hollywood, Florida]]. He graduated from [[Florida State University]] in 2003 and from The [[College of William and Mary]] in 2007 with a [[juris doctor]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.martindale.com/Matthew-Gaetz/24932780-lawyer.htm|title=Matthew Gaetz|work=[[Martindale-Hubbell]]|accessdate=July 11, 2015}}</ref> In 2008, Gaetz was [[Arrest|arrested]] for a [[DUI]] as he was driving back from the Swamp, a [[nightclub]] on [[Okaloosa Island, Florida]], in a 2001 [[BMW]] [[SUV]] registered to his [[Don Gaetz|father]]. While he was [[Arrest|arrested]] and refused to take a [[breathalyzer]] test, "he didn't have his license suspended for a year when he refused the breath test — as Florida law dictates. And he didn't have that refusal used against him in a criminal proceeding." At the time of his [[arrest]] and consequent criminal proceedings, his [[Don Gaetz|father]] was serving as a local politician and he avoided a [[DUI]] conviction, despite the fact that the [[police]] reported that "Gaetz fumbled for his license and registration, his eyes were watery and bloodshot, and he swayed and staggered when he got out of the car."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/lawmakers-talk-of-mug-shot-raises-questions-about-dui-arrest/2166023|title=Lawmaker's talk of mug shot raises questions about DUI arrest|work=Michael Van Sickler, [[Tampa Bay Times]]|accessdate=September 27, 2016}}</ref> ==Florida House of Representatives== In 2010, following the resignation of [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Florida House of Representatives|State Representative]] [[Ray Sansom]], who had briefly served as the [[Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives]], due to [[corruption]] charges,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/state-regional/florida-house-speaker-ray-sansom-resigns/nL4q6/|title=Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom resigns|date=February 21, 2010|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[The Palm Beach Post]]|first=Michael|last=Bender}}</ref> Gaetz ran in the special election to succeed Sansom in the 4th District, which included southern [[Santa Rosa County, Florida|Santa Rosa County]] and [[Okaloosa County, Florida|Okaloosa County]]. In a crowded [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] primary, that included Craig Barker, Kabe Woods, [[Jerry G. Melvin]], and Bill Garvie, Gaetz emerged victorious with 43% of the vote. In the special general election, Gaetz defeated [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee Jan Fernald, winning 66% of the vote. He was unopposed for a full term in 2010. In 2012, following the reconfiguration of [[Florida House of Representatives]] districts, Gaetz's district lost its share of Santa Rosa County. He was reelected in unopposed contests in 2012 and 2014. While serving in the state house, Gaetz joined with [[Florida State Senate|State Senator]] [[Joe Negron]] to propose legislation "designed to accelerate the execution of many of the 404 inmates on Florida's death row" by requiring the [[Governor of Florida|Governor]] to sign a death warrant for those inmates who have exhausted their appeals,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/courts/criminal/florida-house-approves-speeding-up-executions/2117426|title=Florida House approves speeding up executions|date=April 25, 2013|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|first=Mary Ellen|last=Klas}}</ref> noting, "Only God can judge. But we can sure set up the meeting."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/11/07/matt_gaetz_meet_the_aggressive_ideologue_who_s_chairing_florida_s_stand.html|title=Meet the Uncompromising Ideologue Chairing Florida's "Stand Your Ground" Hearings|date=November 7, 2013|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|first=Justin|last=Peters}}</ref> He also joined forces with State Senator [[Greg Evers]] to repeal legislation that requires that 10% of gasoline sold in [[Florida]] contain [[ethanol]], saying, "This is the bill that removes and repeals Florida's burdensome ethanol mandate."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.wfsu.org/post/ethanol-fuels-evaporate-under-house-bill|title=Ethanol Fuels To Evaporate Under House Bill|date=April 12, 2013|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[WFSU-TV]]|first=Tom|last=Flanigan}}</ref> Following the trial of [[George Zimmerman]] for the shooting of [[Trayvon Martin]], [[Will Weatherford]], the [[Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives]], announced that he would order hearings on the "[[Stand-your-ground law|stand-your-ground]]" law that was raised as an issue during the trial.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/legislature/weatherford-calls-for-hearings-on-stand-your-ground/2134563|title=Weatherford calls for hearings on 'stand your ground'|date=August 2, 2013|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|first=Michael|last=Van Sickler}}</ref> Gaetz, the Chairman of the Criminal Justice Subcommittee, was tasked with reviewing the legislation, and announced before hearings that he would not support changing "one damn comma," though he indicated that he would listen to both sides' testimony during the hearings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/matt-gaetz-to-rally-base-ahead-of-syg-hearing/2137830|title=Matt Gaetz to rally base ahead of Stand Your Ground hearing|date=August 22, 2013|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[Tampa Bay Times]]|first=Tia|last=Mitchell}}</ref> Following the conclusion of the hearings, he authored legislation that would allow defendants who successfully used a "stand your ground" defense during their trial "to apply for a 'certificate of eligibility' to expunge information related to 'stand your ground' from their criminal records."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/25/amendment-would-cutjournalistsaccesstostandyourgroundrecords.html|title=Proposed 'stand your ground' amendment would expunge records|date=March 25, 2014|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[Al Jazeera America]]|first=Dexter|last=Mullins}}</ref> When his subcommittee was considering legislation that would "keep mug shots of people who are charged with crimes off the Internet until they are convicted," Gaetz brought up his 2008 [[arrest]] for [[driving under the influence]], arguing that his mistakes made him who he is and that publicly available mug shots "could be a problem for those unaccustomed to publicity."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2014/02/matt-gaetz-wants-to-talk-about-his-mug-shot-but-not-his-arrest-.html|title=Matt Gaetz wants to talk about his mug shot, but not his arrest|date=February 18, 2014|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=[[Miami Herald]]|first=Michael|last=Van Sickler}}</ref> ==Florida Senate and U.S. House races== Gaetz announced that he would run for the [[Florida Senate]] in the 1st District, a seat held by his father, [[Don Gaetz|State Senator Don Gaetz]], in 2016. His father was due to be term-limited out of the Senate in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/matt-gaetz-makes-it-official-will-shoot-dads-senate-seat-2016|title=Matt Gaetz Makes It Official, Will Shoot for Dad's Senate Seat in 2016|date=May 13, 2013|accessdate=May 2, 2014|work=Sunshine State News|first=Jeff|last=Henderson}}</ref> On March 21, 2016, Gaetz withdrew from the race. ==U.S. House of Representatives== On March 21, 2016, Gaetz withdrew to run for the seat representing [[Florida's 1st congressional district]], since [[Jeff Miller (Florida politician)|Jeff Miller]] announced he would not seek reelection.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2016/03/matt-gaetz-launches-bid-for-congress-handing-fathers-state-senate-seat-to-george-gainer.html|title=Matt Gaetz launches bid for Congress, handing fathers state Senate seat to George Gainer|last=Clark|first=Kristen|date=March 21, 2016|work=[[Miami Herald]]}}</ref> On August 30, 2016, Gaetz won the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] primary for the 1st congressional district with 35.7% of the vote – defeating [[Greg Evers]] (21.5%), Cris Dosev (20.6%), and five other candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/house/florida|title=Florida House Races Results|work=[[Politico]]|accessdate=September 6, 2016}}</ref> On September 25, 2016, following the death of [[Miami Marlins|Miami Marlins’]] [[pitcher]] [[José Fernández (pitcher)|José Fernández]], Gaetz criticized the [[2016 U.S. national anthem protests|athletes protesting during the national anthem]] in a tweet: "To all who will kneel during the anthem today – just remember how José Fernández risked his life just for the chance to stand for it".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/780046438516396033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw|title=Matt Gaetz Tweet|work=Matt Gaetz [[Twitter]]|accessdate=September 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/matt-gaetz-jose-fernandez-tweet_us_57e878d9e4b0e80b1ba2bdc7|title=GOP Lawmaker Matt Gaetz Ripped For Tweet Politicizing Death Of MLB Star Jose Fernandez|work=The Huffington Post|accessdate=September 27, 2016}}</ref> Gaetz defeated Democratic candidate Steven Specht with 69 percent of the vote.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/results/florida-house-district-1-specht-gaetz|title=Florida U.S. House 1st District Results: Matt Gaetz Wins|access-date=2017-08-02}}</ref> However, he had effectively clinched a seat in Congress with his primary win; the 1st is the most Republican district in Florida and one of the most Republican districts in the nation. ===Committee assignments=== *'''[[United States House Committee on Armed Services|Committee on Armed Services]]''' **[[United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations|Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations]] **[[United States House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces|Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces]] *'''[[United States House Committee on the Budget|Committee on the Budget]]''' *'''[[United States House Committee on the Judiciary|Committee on the Judiciary]]''' **[[United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet|Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet]] **[[United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law|Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law]] == Political positions == === Donald Trump === On February 23, 2017, Gaetz, worried about [[Protests against Donald Trump|protesters]] disrupting him from being able to speak at his [[Town hall meeting|town hall]] in [[Pace, Florida]], prepared what his staffers call the "[[Nonverbal communication|non-verbal]] [[Town hall meeting|town hall]]," reminiscent of a scene from the movie "[[Love Actually]]." Gaetz printed out part of a speech that gets some of his message across onto giant boards that he will hold up if he is unable to get a word in.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/politics/matt-gaetz-town-hall-disrupters/index.html|title=One Republican congressman's plan to deal with town hall disrupters|last1=Moghe|first1=Sonia|date=February 23, 2017|accessdate=February 23, 2017|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> Later that evening, Gaetz arrived 30 minutes late to the [[Town hall meeting|town hall]] and faced at least 500 constituents crowded into the Oops [[Bowling alley|Bowling Alley]], where he was grilled about his relationship with [[Donald Trump|Trump]], his stance on repealing the [[Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act|Affordable Care Act]], and his proposal to abolish the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]]. However, he managed to surprise the audience and gather a rare applause when he said, "Absolutely, [[Donald Trump]] should release his [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016#Refusal to release tax returns|tax returns]]." But he stopped short of saying [[United States Congress|Congress]] should [[subpoena]] those returns. Gaetz closed his [[Town hall meeting|town hall]] by shouting “[[Make America Great Again]]” over roaring opposition from the crowd.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/a-conservative-republican-calls-on-trump-to-release-his-tax-returns-at-a-town-hall-thursday/2017/02/24/fd243790-fa4c-11e6-9845-576c69081518_story.html|title=At town hall, conservative lawmaker calls on Trump to release tax returns|last1=Strickland|first1=T.S.|date=February 24, 2017|accessdate=February 24, 2017|publisher=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/politics/matt-gaetz-donald-trump-tax-returns/|title=Under fire, GOP congressman calls for Trump tax returns|last1=LoBianco|first1=Tom|date=February 23, 2017|accessdate=February 24, 2017|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://weartv.com/news/local/gaetz-met-with-protesters-during-santa-rosa-county-townhall-tour|title=Gaetz meets with protesters during Santa Rosa County town hall tour|last1=Norton|first1=Allie|date=February 23, 2017|accessdate=February 24, 2017|publisher=[[WEAR-TV]]}}</ref> === Environment === On February 3, 2017, Gaetz proposed a bill, [[H.R. 861 (115th Congress)]] that would "completely abolish" the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)]], writing, "Our small businesses cannot afford to cover the costs associated with compliance, too often leading to closed doors and unemployed Americans. It is time to take back our legislative power from the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]] and abolish it permanently."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kaufman|first1=Alexander C.|title=Florida Congressman Drafts Bill To ‘Completely Abolish’ The EPA|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-to-abolish-epa_us_5890e638e4b02772c4e9c552|accessdate=February 1, 2017|publisher=[[The Huffington Post]]|date=January 31, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=H.R.861 - To terminate the Environmental Protection Agency|url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/861|accessdate=February 23, 2017|date=February 3, 2017}}</ref> === Health care === On March 23, 2017, the day prior to the scheduled vote on the [[American Health Care Act of 2017]] in the [[United States House of Representatives|House of Representatives]], Gaetz was asked by the [[Associated Press]] whether the GOP would come together to pass the bill. Gaetz replied responded, “I sure hope so, or we’ll have the opportunity to watch a unified [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic caucus]] [[Impeachment in the United States|impeach]] [[Donald Trump]] in two years when we lose the majority.”<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gilbert|first1=David|title=Make or Break|url=https://news.vice.com/story/trump-issues-friday-vote-ultimatum-on-his-health-care-bill|accessdate=March 24, 2017|publisher=[[Vice News]]|date=March 24, 2017}}</ref> The bill, however, never made it to the House for a vote, as opposition from the [[Freedom Caucus]] caused it to be pulled from the floor. In light of the bill's collapse, Gaetz questioned the GOP's [[Competence (human resources)|competency]] by telling reporters, “I don’t know if we could pass a [[Mother’s Day]] resolution right now."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dovere|first1=Edward-Isaac|title=GOP wonders: Can it get anything done?|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/republicans-health-care-failure-agenda-future-236495|accessdate=March 25, 2017|publisher=[[Politico]]|date=March 25, 2017}}</ref> ==Crowdsourcing a resolution with the help of a conspiracy forum== In July and August 2017, it was reported that Gaetz had crowdsourced the contents of a resolution that he introduced to the House Judiciary Committee with the help of r/The_Donald, "a pro-Trump subreddit notorious for both its embrace of conspiracy theories and its gleeful offensiveness."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/08/01/the-house-judiciary-committee-is-busy-with-the-gops-rthe_donald-amendment/|title=The House Judiciary Committee Is Hard at Work Investigating Reddit Conspiracies|website=Foreign Policy|access-date=2017-08-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wired.com/story/republican-staffer-the-donald-resolution/|title=The GOP Crowsourced an Anti-Clinton Amendment From Reddit|work=WIRED|access-date=2017-08-02|language=en-US}}</ref> ==References== {{reflist|30em}} ==External links== *[https://gaetz.house.gov/ Congressman Matt Gaetz] official U.S. House site *[http://www.mattgaetz.com/ Campaign website] * {{ CongLinks | congbio = G000578 | fec = H6FL01119| votesmart = 117101 | congress = matt-gaetz/G000578 }} * {{C-SPAN|mattgaetz}} {{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{s-bef|before=[[Jeff Miller (Florida politician)|Jeff Miller]]}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the [[List of United States Representatives from Florida|U.S. House of Representatives]]<br>from [[Florida's 1st congressional district]]|years=2017–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-prec|usa}} {{s-bef|before=[[Brian Fitzpatrick (American politician)|Brian Fitzpatrick]]<br><small>R-[[Pennsylvania]]</small>}} {{s-ttl|title=''[[List of current members of the United States House of Representatives by seniority|United States Representatives by seniority]]''|years=399th}} {{s-aft|after=[[Mike Gallagher (U.S. legislator)|Mike Gallagher]]<br><small>R-[[Wisconsin]]</small>}} {{s-end}} {{U.S. Florida Representatives}} {{FL-FedRep}} {{Current members of the U.S. House of Representatives}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaetz, Matt}} [[Category:1982 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Members of the Florida House of Representatives]] [[Category:People from Hollywood, Florida]] [[Category:People from Fort Walton Beach, Florida]] [[Category:Florida State University alumni]] [[Category:William & Mary School of Law alumni]] [[Category:Florida Republicans]] [[Category:21st-century American politicians]] [[Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida]] [[Category:Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives]]'