WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee announced on Thursday that it was investigating whether Representative Alcee L. Hastings, Democrat of Florida, violated House rules by having a personal relationship with a member of his staff or accepting inappropriate gifts.

Mr. Hastings has made no secret of his relationship with an employee in his congressional office, telling The Palm Beach Post in April that he remained in a relationship with a staff aide. Mr. Hastings, 83, has employed Patricia Williams since at least 2000, according to The Post, and in 2017, the pair bought a $700,000 house near Boynton Beach.

Mr. Hastings was impeached and removed from the federal bench in 1989 after the Senate found him guilty of eight impeachment articles, including one charging that he had conspired to receive a $150,000 bribe. Ms. Williams served as co-counsel with Mr. Hastings as he defended himself against those allegations, and according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Mr. Hastings still owes legal fees to her — likely the reason for the committee’s examination of whether he has received any inappropriate gifts or “forbearance.”

The relationship received renewed scrutiny last month, when the ethics committee announced that it would investigate allegations that Representative Katie Hill of California, a first-term Democrat, had a sexual relationship with a member of her congressional staff. Ms. Hill has since resigned after admitting to an improper sexual relationship with a campaign aide, though she denied the charge being examined by the committee.