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George Miller (politician)
Encyclopedia
George Miller III is the U.S. Representative
for , serving since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. From 2007 through 2010, Miller served as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, formerly known as the Education and the Workforce Committee.
, he was born in Richmond, California
in 1945. He was graduated from Diablo Valley Community College and San Francisco State University
.
After he earned his bachelors degree, his father died in 1969. Miller ran to succeed his father in the March 1969 special election, but Republican John Nejedly defeated him 57% to 42% in California's 7th State Senate district
.
He then attended the University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall), where he received his Juris Doctor
. After admission to the university, served as legislative assistant to California Senate majority leader George Moscone
before entering the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974.
decided to run in the newly redrawn 8th district
. Miller decided to run for the open seat in California's 7th congressional district
. He won the primary with a plurality of 38%. In the general election, he defeated Republican Gary Fernandez 56% to 44%, the lowest winning percentage of his career. He won re-election 18 times, and never won with less than 61% of the vote.
In the House, Miller has been a member of the Natural Resources Committee; he was that Committee's chairman from 1991 to 1994. Miller has supported efforts to preserve public lands such as the 1994 California Desert Protection Act, which among other things created Death Valley National Park
and Joshua Tree National Park
. In addition, Miller was the chief sponsor of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992, which mandated that the federal government's Bureau of Reclamation
manage the Central Valley Project
in order to better protect the fish and wildlife populations of California's Bay-Delta region
. Miller lost his chairmanship when Republicans
won control of Congress
in 1994. He stayed as the committee's Ranking Member until 2000, and remains on the committee. Miller is also a member of the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
.
Labor issues
From 2001 to 2006, Miller was the ranking Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee. With that committee's chairman, and their Senate
counterparts, Miller helped draft the No Child Left Behind Act
in 2001 and 2002. Miller has focused on pension
issues, reinstating Davis-Bacon Act
wage protections for Gulf Coast
workers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
. In addition, Miller has worked on education issues such as protesting student aid cuts, increasing No Child Left Behind Act
funding, and investigating the Bush administration
's hiring of Armstrong Williams
to promote that law. Miller has also been a vocal advocate of labor and immigration reform
in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
. In 2007, as chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Miller sponsored the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007
, which was enacted into law as an amendment to another bill. In 2001, Miller said, "The secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose."
Port Chicago disaster
Miller has petitioned to clear the names of the sailors of the World War II
Port Chicago disaster
in which more than 200 black men were court-martial
ed and 50 convicted of mutiny
for refusing to continue to load ammunition onto warships after a tremendous explosion killed hundreds. For the most part, Miller's efforts failed, and fewer than four of the sailors convicted of mutiny are still alive. However, in 1999, during a flurry of pardon
s signed as he left office, President
Bill Clinton
pardoned Freddie Meeks, one of the 50 mutineers. In addition, Miller wrote the legislation to designate the site of the event as a National Memorial.
Indian gambling
Miller is a supporter of Indian gambling. In 2000, as ranking member of the House Resource Committee, Miller inserted an amendment to the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act that took an existing cardroom into federal trust for the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians
. The amendment made the land acquisition retroactive to 1987, stating that "[s]uch land shall be deemed to have been held in trust and part of the reservation of the Rancheria prior to October 17, 1988." This allowed the Lyttons to open a casino at the cardroom under the terms of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
of 1988. Some members of Congress and the gambling industry have called the amendment "underhanded," while other politicians have called the maneuver nothing out of the ordinary.
2008 presidential election
Miller, a superdelegate
in the Democratic Party's 2008
presidential primary
, pledged his support to Barack Obama
despite the fact that his district voted for Hillary Clinton. Miller cited Obama's grassroots
fundraising campaign, first-place win in the Iowa caucus and strong showing in the New Hampshire primary
, leadership style and opposition to the Iraq War as reasons for his endorsement. The endorsement was first reported in the Contra Costa Times on January 9, 2008.
and rents rooms to other members of the U.S. House and Senate. As of April 2010, his tenant housemates are Senators Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin and Representative Bill Delahunt
. Miller purchased the residence in 1977, and his past housemates have included former Representatives Marty Russo
, Leon Panetta
and Sam Gejdenson
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for , serving since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. From 2007 through 2010, Miller served as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, formerly known as the Education and the Workforce Committee.
Early life, education, and early career
The son of liberal State Senator and Democratic Party leader George Miller, Jr.George Miller, Jr.
George Miller, Jr., was a Democratic California State Senator from 1948 to 1968 and a leader of the liberal wing of the California Democratic Party in the early 1950s when the Republican Party dominated State Government.-History:...
, he was born in Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
in 1945. He was graduated from Diablo Valley Community College and San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
.
After he earned his bachelors degree, his father died in 1969. Miller ran to succeed his father in the March 1969 special election, but Republican John Nejedly defeated him 57% to 42% in California's 7th State Senate district
California's 7th State Senate district
California's 7th State Senate District is one of 40 Senate Districts. It is currently represented by Democrat Mark DeSaulnier of Concord.-District profile:...
.
He then attended the University of California, Davis School of Law (King Hall), where he received his Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
. After admission to the university, served as legislative assistant to California Senate majority leader George Moscone
George Moscone
George Richard Moscone was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California, US from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. Moscone served in the California State Senate from 1967 until becoming Mayor. In the Senate, he served as...
before entering the U.S. House of Representatives in 1974.
Elections
In 1974, incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative Ron DellumsRon Dellums
Ronald Vernie "Ron" Dellums served as Oakland's forty-fifth mayor. From 1971 to 1998, he was elected to thirteen terms as a Member of the U.S...
decided to run in the newly redrawn 8th district
California's 8th congressional district
California's 8th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of California that covers most of the city and county of San Francisco except for the southwestern parts of the city which are included in the 12th Congressional District....
. Miller decided to run for the open seat in California's 7th congressional district
California's 7th congressional district
California's 7th congressional district is a congressional district located in the U.S. state of California that covers half of Contra Costa County and part of Solano County...
. He won the primary with a plurality of 38%. In the general election, he defeated Republican Gary Fernandez 56% to 44%, the lowest winning percentage of his career. He won re-election 18 times, and never won with less than 61% of the vote.
Tenure
Environmental issuesIn the House, Miller has been a member of the Natural Resources Committee; he was that Committee's chairman from 1991 to 1994. Miller has supported efforts to preserve public lands such as the 1994 California Desert Protection Act, which among other things created Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park is a national park in the U.S. states of California and Nevada located east of the Sierra Nevada in the arid Great Basin of the United States. The park protects the northwest corner of the Mojave Desert and contains a diverse desert environment of salt-flats, sand dunes,...
and Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park is located in southeastern California. Declared a U.S. National Park in 1994 when the U.S. Congress passed the California Desert Protection Act , it had previously been a U.S. National Monument since 1936. It is named for the Joshua tree forests native to the park...
. In addition, Miller was the chief sponsor of the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992, which mandated that the federal government's Bureau of Reclamation
United States Bureau of Reclamation
The United States Bureau of Reclamation , and formerly the United States Reclamation Service , is an agency under the U.S...
manage the Central Valley Project
Central Valley Project
The Central Valley Project is a Bureau of Reclamation federal water project in the U.S. state of California. It was devised in 1933 in order to provide irrigation and municipal water to much of California's Central Valley—by regulating and storing water in reservoirs in the water-rich northern...
in order to better protect the fish and wildlife populations of California's Bay-Delta region
Sacramento River Delta
The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, or California Delta, is an expansive inland river delta and estuary in northern California in the United States. The Delta is formed at the western edge of the Central Valley by the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and lies just east of...
. Miller lost his chairmanship when Republicans
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
won control of Congress
Republican Revolution
The Republican Revolution or Revolution of '94 is what the media dubbed Republican Party success in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of Representatives, and a pickup of eight seats in the Senate...
in 1994. He stayed as the committee's Ranking Member until 2000, and remains on the committee. Miller is also a member of the Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
The Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus is a large bi-partisan Congressional Member Organization in the U.S. House of Representatives formed to support the National Wildlife Refuge System through legislation, funding, and education.-History:...
.
Labor issues
From 2001 to 2006, Miller was the ranking Democrat on the Education and the Workforce Committee. With that committee's chairman, and their Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
counterparts, Miller helped draft the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
in 2001 and 2002. Miller has focused on pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
issues, reinstating Davis-Bacon Act
Davis-Bacon Act
The Davis–Bacon Act of 1931 is a United States federal law which established the requirement for paying prevailing wages on public works projects...
wage protections for Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
workers in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. In addition, Miller has worked on education issues such as protesting student aid cuts, increasing No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
funding, and investigating the Bush administration
George W. Bush administration
The presidency of George W. Bush began on January 20, 2001, when he was inaugurated as the 43rd President of the United States of America. The oldest son of former president George H. W. Bush, George W...
's hiring of Armstrong Williams
Armstrong Williams
Armstrong Williams is an African American political commentator, author of a conservative newspaper column, and host of a daily radio show and a nationally syndicated TV program, called The Right Side with Armstrong Williams. From 2004 to 2007, he co-hosted a daily radio program with Sam...
to promote that law. Miller has also been a vocal advocate of labor and immigration reform
Immigration reform
Immigration reform is a term used in political discussion regarding changes to current immigration policy of a country. In its strict definition, "reform " means to change into an improved form or condition, by amending or removing faults or abuses....
in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , is a commonwealth in political union with the United States, occupying a strategic region of the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines...
. In 2007, as chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, Miller sponsored the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007
Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007
The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 is a US Act of Congress that amended the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. It was signed into law on May 25, 2007 as part of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina...
, which was enacted into law as an amendment to another bill. In 2001, Miller said, "The secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose."
Port Chicago disaster
Miller has petitioned to clear the names of the sailors of the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Port Chicago disaster
Port Chicago disaster
The Port Chicago disaster was a deadly munitions explosion that occurred on July 17, 1944, at the Port Chicago Naval Magazine in Port Chicago, California, United States. Munitions detonated while being loaded onto a cargo vessel bound for the Pacific Theater of Operations, killing 320 sailors and...
in which more than 200 black men were court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
ed and 50 convicted of mutiny
Mutiny
Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly situated individuals to openly oppose, change or overthrow an authority to which they are subject...
for refusing to continue to load ammunition onto warships after a tremendous explosion killed hundreds. For the most part, Miller's efforts failed, and fewer than four of the sailors convicted of mutiny are still alive. However, in 1999, during a flurry of pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
s signed as he left office, President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
pardoned Freddie Meeks, one of the 50 mutineers. In addition, Miller wrote the legislation to designate the site of the event as a National Memorial.
Indian gambling
Miller is a supporter of Indian gambling. In 2000, as ranking member of the House Resource Committee, Miller inserted an amendment to the Omnibus Indian Advancement Act that took an existing cardroom into federal trust for the Lytton Band of Pomo Indians
Lytton Band of Pomo Indians
The Lytton Band of Pomo Indians is a tribe of Pomo Native Americans created in the late 1980s by lineal descendants of the two families who lived at the Lytton Rancheria in Healdsburg, California from 1937 to about 1960. The tribe now has between 200 and 300 members...
. The amendment made the land acquisition retroactive to 1987, stating that "[s]uch land shall be deemed to have been held in trust and part of the reservation of the Rancheria prior to October 17, 1988." This allowed the Lyttons to open a casino at the cardroom under the terms of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
Indian Gaming Regulatory Act
The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act is a 1988 United States federal law that establishes the jurisdictional framework that governs Indian gaming. There was no federal gaming structure before this act...
of 1988. Some members of Congress and the gambling industry have called the amendment "underhanded," while other politicians have called the maneuver nothing out of the ordinary.
2008 presidential election
Miller, a superdelegate
Superdelegate
"Superdelegate" is an informal term commonly used for some of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the United States Democratic Party....
in the Democratic Party's 2008
Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008
The 2008 Democratic presidential primaries were the selection process by which voters of the Democratic Party chose its nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 U.S. presidential election...
presidential primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, pledged his support to Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
despite the fact that his district voted for Hillary Clinton. Miller cited Obama's grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
fundraising campaign, first-place win in the Iowa caucus and strong showing in the New Hampshire primary
New Hampshire primary
The New Hampshire primary is the first in a series of nationwide political party primary elections held in the United States every four years , as part of the process of choosing the Democratic and Republican nominees for the presidential elections to be held the subsequent November.Although only a...
, leadership style and opposition to the Iraq War as reasons for his endorsement. The endorsement was first reported in the Contra Costa Times on January 9, 2008.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Education and LaborUnited States House Committee on Education and the WorkforceThe Committee on Education and the Workforce is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. From 1947 until 1994 and again from 2007 to 2011, during Democratic control of the House, it was known as the Committee on Education and Labor.-History of the Committee:Attempts were...
(Ranking Member)- As ranking member of the full committee, Rep. Miller may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees of which he is not already a voting member.
- Subcommittee on Workforce ProtectionsUnited States House Education Subcommittee on Workforce ProtectionsThe House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections is a standing subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce.-Jurisdiction:The Subcommittee's jurisdiction includes:...
- Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and PensionsUnited States House Education Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and PensionsThe House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions is a standing subcommittee within the United States House Committee on Education and the Workforce...
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Progressive Caucus (Founder)
- Congressional Wildlife Refuge Caucus
- International Conservation CaucusUnited States Congressional International Conservation CaucusThe U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus is a bipartisan congressional organization that was founded in September 2003 with the conviction that “the United States of America has the opportunity, the obligation and the interests to advance the conservation of natural resources for...
- House Democratic Steering and Policy CommitteeSteering and Policy Committee of the United States House of RepresentativesIn the United States House of Representatives, the House Democratic Caucus includes a Steering and Policy Committee. Its primary purpose is to assign fellow party members to other House committees, and it also advises party leaders on policy...
(Co-Chair for Policy)
Personal life
Miller owns a residence in Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
Capitol Hill, aside from being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues...
and rents rooms to other members of the U.S. House and Senate. As of April 2010, his tenant housemates are Senators Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin and Representative Bill Delahunt
Bill Delahunt
William D. Delahunt is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Delahunt did not seek re-election in 2010, and left Congress in January 2011. He was replaced by Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating...
. Miller purchased the residence in 1977, and his past housemates have included former Representatives Marty Russo
Marty Russo
Martin Anthony Russo is a U.S. Democratic politician and lobbyist.- Political career :He was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from Illinois and served from January 3, 1975 to January 3, 1993.From 1979 to 1992, Russo served on the Ways and Means Committee...
, Leon Panetta
Leon Panetta
Leon Edward Panetta is the 23rd and current United States Secretary of Defense, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama since 2011. Prior to taking office, he served as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency...
and Sam Gejdenson
Sam Gejdenson
Samuel "Sam" Gejdenson is a former United States Representative for the 2nd Congressional District of Connecticut.Born in a displaced persons camp in Eschwege, Germany, Gejdenson was the child of a Belarussian father and Lithuanian mother. Gejdenson grew up in Bozrah, Connecticut on a dairy farm...
.
Electoral history
External links
- U.S. Representative George Miller official U.S. House site
- George Miller for Congress official campaign site
- Profile at SourceWatchSourceWatchSourceWatch is an internet wiki site that is a collaborative project of the liberal Center for Media and Democracy...
- Employee Free Choice George Miller, The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, January 19, 2006