Alan Grayson

Grayson earned a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1978. He earned a master's degree in public policy and a law degree from Harvard University in 1983.[1]

U.S. House

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U.S. Senate

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Alan Grayson did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2025 Candidate Connection survey.

State Senate

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U.S. Senate

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Alan Grayson did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Alan Grayson did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

The following themes were found on Grayson's official campaign website.

Women's issues

I have sponsored, co-sponsored, and voted for many bills to help women. Here are some examples:

1) I co-sponsored and voted for H.R. 11, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 stating that the 180-day statute of limitations for filing an equal-pay lawsuit regarding pay discrimination resets with each new discriminatory paycheck.

2) I co-sponsored H.J. Res. 61, which proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States establishing equal rights for men and women. This constitutional amendment prohibits denying or abridging equality of rights under the law by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

3) I co-sponsored H.R. 2744, the Equal Rights for Health Care Act. This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status against any person in the United States under any health care service or research program or activity receiving federal financial assistance, including Medicare and Medicaid.

4) I co-sponsored H.R. 1691, the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act of 2009. The bill requires that group health plans provide medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment.

5) I co-sponsored and voted in favor of H.R. 971. This bill sets guidelines for the United States Preventive Services Task Force, to make sure insurers are not denying women coverage for mammograms and other services related to breast cancer.

6) I co-sponsored H.R. 4830, the Women and Workforce Investment for Nontraditional Jobs. This bill will allow states to compete for grants for programs that will help increase women’s participation in high-wage, high-demand occupations in which women are currently underrepresented in the state’s workforce.

7) I co-sponsored H.R. 4594, which establishes an Office for Women’s Global Development (intended to replace the Office of Women in Development) in the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The office would coordinate USAID efforts to integrate gender in U.S. foreign assistance programs, targeting and policies. It also requires the Secretary to provide guidance on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls to the Secretary of DOD when U.S. military personnel, military contractors, and military observers are to be deployed in humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict settings.

8) I co-sponsored H.R. 22, which expresses that the rights of women are vital to the development and well-being of people of all nations, and requesting that the U.S. Senate ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

9) I co-sponsored H.R. 1740, the Breast Cancer Education and Awareness Requires Learning Young Act of 2009. This bill requires Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a national evidence-based education campaign to increase public awareness regarding the threats posed by breast cancer to young women, including the particular risks faced by certain ethnic and cultural groups. It also requires focus on awareness of risk factors and achieving early detection through community-centered informational forums, public service advertisements, and media campaigns.

National security

I support ending the war in Afghanistan and bringing our troops home as soon as safely possible.

The goals of expelling al-Qaeda and overthrowing the Taliban were accomplished years ago. It took about a thousand Special Forces troops to overthrow the Taliban in 2001. Why do we need a hundred times that number now to keep them out?

Instead of spending billions on the other side of the world, we can spend that money here to rebuild America. We simply can no longer afford these wars. The American people are tired of wars that do not make us safer.

Latino Issues

Spanish Books For Our Libraries:

I requested, and received, $500,000 in federal funds for Spanish-languages books and magazines for Orange County libraries. This is the first Congressional “earmark” for the Latino community in Orange County history. Libraries are for everyone. With over a quarter of Orange County now Latino, it’s time that the Latino community enjoys our libraries as much as anyone else.

Boosting Hispanic-Owned Small Businesses:

I obtained funding for a program that will provide valuable tools to women and minorities as they work to be successful entrepreneurs. Thanks to my efforts, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando received $220,000 to expand small business training and assistance throughout Central Florida.

The DREAM Act:

I voted in favor of the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act of 2010.

This bill gives children who are here illegally, through no fault of their own, the opportunity to come out of the shadows and gain conditional non-immigrant status, as long as they demonstrate that they can be productive members of society.

The landmark bipartisan legislation gives qualifying undocumented children, who grew up in the United States, the ability to pursue higher education and serve in the U.S. Armed Forces. Several strict conditions apply. Children must:

Have been brought to the United States as a child (15 years old or younger);

Be 29 years old or younger;

Have lived in the U.S. for 5 years or more;

Have graduated from an American high school, obtained a GED, or have been admitted to an institution of higher education;

Have been a person of “good moral character,” as defined by our immigration laws;

Have complete security and law enforcement background checks;

Undergo a medical examination;

Register for the Selective Service; and

Pay a significant fee in connection with the initial application.

Participation is prohibited for those who have committed a crime or pose a public health risk. The law will not apply to children brought here illegally in the future.

We have to make meaningful distinctions among the undocumented. There is no social or economic benefit to creating an uneducated, nonparticipating underclass in U.S. society. On the contrary, we should work to integrate the children currently here with undocumented status – who have themselves committed no crime – so that they can become active contributors to this country’s economic wellbeing.

Congratulating Justice Sotomayor:

At the White House, I told Sonya Sotomayor, face-to-face, how proud I am that she is now a Supreme Court Justice. We both grew up near Bronx Park, in New York City. I am particularly happy that we have a Puerto Rican leader who embraces her heritage. Justice Sotomayor is truly a ‘wise Latina.’ She embodies the diversity that makes America great.

Justice In Vieques:

In Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico, the land and water have been poisoned by debris from a military bombing range. The mess has caused people of Vieques to suffer terribly, from cancer and other diseases. I have demanded that the military accept responsibility for the harm it has caused, and help to ease the suffering of the victims in Vieques.

Health Care

According to a Harvard study published by the American Journal of Public Health, 44,789 Americans die each year because they have no health coverage. Each year, if you take two Americans who are physically identical — same height, same age, same race, same weight, even same smoking history — and one has health insurance and the other does not, the one without health insurance is 40% more likely to die. And every one of them could be saved.

That is why I supported the Affordable Care Act. It takes us close to universal healthcare for all Americans. It eliminates the donut hole on prescription drugs for seniors, and covers their routine checkups. “Obamacare” prevents insurance companies from cutting you off when you reach some arbitrary limit on health care costs, and it prevents insurance companies from denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition. The health care reform also allows young men and women to stay on their parents’ insurance policy until they are 26 years old.

But there is more to do. I support a strong public option. We need to increase competition, especially in areas where one or two insurance companies control 80% or more of the health insurance market. In Congress, I introduced the Medicare You Can Buy Into Act, which opens up Medicare to anyone who is willing to pay for it.

We need universal, comprehensive, affordable health care in America. With 122 Americans dying every day because they have no health insurance, it can’t come soon enough.

Financial Services

No bank or financial institution is “too big to fail.” That’s why I voted against bailouts using taxpayer money. I support financial innovation and the free market, but when companies and institutions take the American economy to the brink of collapse, we need to act.

I used my position on the House Financial Services Committee to address the problems that caused the so-called “Great Recession.”

I teamed up with Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) to push through an amendment to audit the Federal Reserve. The audit exposed that the Federal Reserve had conducted $26 TRILLION in secret bailouts during the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

I also supported meaningful efforts to rein in the abusive practices of credit card companies. The Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights prevents retroactive interest rate increases, empowers people to set limits on their credit, and requires card companies to be fair.

Among the other reforms I support are:

Consumer Protection – Stronger enforcement by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to protect Americans from unfair financial products and services.

Executive Compensation Regulation – Gives shareholders a “say on pay” vote on executive compensation and golden parachutes.

Investor Protections – Strengthen the SEC’s powers so that it can better protect investors and regulate the nation’s securities markets.

Comprehensive Regulation of Derivatives.

Creation of an Office of Insurance – Creates a Federal Insurance Office that will monitor all aspects of the insurance industry, including identifying issues or gaps in the regulation of insurers that could contribute to a systemic crisis and undermine the entire financial system.

Energy

Right now, we are sending more than $400 billion a year to foreign countries to pay for imported oil. I want to use incentives to spark the development of energy-efficient cars, appliances and buildings. We will develop domestic energy resources like solar, wind, geothermal, clean coal and hydropower. Let’s produce more energy at home, so that we can break our dependence on foreign oil.

I believe that offshore drilling in Florida poses a tremendous risk to the environment and to the largest component of our economy, which is tourism. Before we even entertain the possibility of drilling offshore, I want to see tangible benefits for the people of Florida. In advance of any drilling, there should be an agreement as good as the one that the people of Alaska enjoy. Each year, every man, woman and child in Alaska receives a check for more than $1,000, in exchange for Big Oil drilling there. If and when the oil companies offer that much or more to Florida, we can consider whether to take the risk.

Education

Both of my parents were teachers, so I strongly support public education. One of the most important roles of government is to teach our children.

My support of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act delivered more than $200 million in additional aid to the schools in my district.

The money prevented at least six schools from closing.

Campaign finance reform

The U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 decision in Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission is the worst Supreme Court ruling in more than a century. It opened the door to political bribery and corruption on the largest scale imaginable. Corporations, foreign-owned businesses and foreign governments will be allowed to spend unlimited amounts of cash on propaganda to influence the outcomes of our elections. We cannot put the law up for sale, and award our government to the highest bidder.

That’s why I introduced legislation to prevent a corporate takeover of government in America. My “Save Our Democracy” Platform aims to stave off the threat of “corpocracy.” Each of the bills is clear and concise; none is longer than four pages.

Here are the eight bills I introduced, and what they aim to accomplish:

The Business Should Mind Its Own Business Act (H.R. 4431): Implements a 500% excise tax on corporate contributions to political committees, and on corporate expenditures on political advocacy campaigns.

The Public Company Responsibility Act (H.R. 4435): Prevents companies making political contributions and expenditures from trading their stock on national exchanges.

The End Political Kickbacks Act (H.R. 4434): Prevents for-profit corporations that receive money from the government from making political contributions, and limits the amount that employees of those companies can contribute.

The Corporate Propaganda Sunshine Act (H.R. 4432): Requires publicly-traded companies to disclose in SEC filings money used for the purpose of influencing public opinion, rather than promoting their products and services.

The Ending Corporate Collusion Act (H.R. 4433): Applies antitrust law to industry political action committees.

The End the Hijacking of Shareholder Funds Act (H.R. 4487): This bill requires the approval of a majority of a public company’s shareholders for any expenditure by that company to influence public opinion on matters not related to the company’s products or services.

The America is for Americans Act (H.R. 4510): Bans all political contributions from foreign companies, or domestic companies with any foreign owners.

The Pick Your Poison Act (H.R. 4511): Requires corporations to choose between using lobbyists to influence the political process, or spending money on campaign propaganda.

You can count on me to fight the special interests. I don’t owe anything to anyone but the voters.

Economy

I was one of the few members of Congress who ever worked as an economist. I also started a company that went public and is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. I understand the economy, and what it needs to recover.

Our country can no longer afford to let the rich get richer through tax breaks, at the expense of the middle class. It has been more than a decade since the Bush tax breaks for the rich were enacted. There were 110 million private sector jobs in America in 2001. There are 110 million private sector jobs in America today. Despite a population increase of more than 25 million, there are no more private sector jobs today than when the Bush tax breaks for the rich became law.

I pointed out on national television that American has the fifth most unequal distribution of wealth in the world. That needs to change. The only way that everyone will be better off is if everyone is better off.

When the economy recovers, we need to tackle government spending and return to the days of budget surpluses, like the ones we created under the Clinton Administration. But first, we need to ensure that we avoid another recession, and that there is a job for everyone who needs one.

[104]

—Alan Grayson for Congress[105]

Campaign website

The following issues were listed on Grayson's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

LGBTQ+ Equality: We’ve seen great progress. Let’s finish the job, so that from now until the end of time, people will remember that it was our generation that won justice for all.

Campaign Finance Reform: I owe nothing to anyone but the voters. I can tell every lobbyist and fat cat to go to hell, and I often do – just for the fun of it.

Education: We live in the wealthiest country in the world. We should also live in the best-educated country in the world.

Wall Street Reform: Wall Street is the only place in the world where you can steal from taxpayers, and then bill them for services rendered.

Jobs: For me, being a Democrat is all about understanding that many working families are struggling, just like my parents did. I want to make things easier for them.[104]

—Alan Grayson's campaign website, https://senatorwithguts.com/issues/

War Profiteering

Healthcare

Financial Industry

Economy

Education

GOP

Campaign Finance