Jeff Miller (Florida politician)

Jefferson Bingham Miller (born June 27, 1959) is an American politician who served as the U.S. Representative for Florida's 1st congressional district from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district includes all of Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, Okaloosa County, Walton County, Holmes County and Washington County.

Jeff Miller
Chair of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Bob Filner
Succeeded by	Phil Roe
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 1st district
In office October 16, 2001 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Joe Scarborough
Succeeded by	Matt Gaetz
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 1st district
In office November 3, 1998 – October 16, 2001
Preceded by	Jerry Burroughs
Succeeded by	Greg Evers
Personal details
Born	Jefferson Bingham Miller June 27, 1959 St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Republican (1997–present)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (before 1997)
Spouse(s)	Vicki Miller
Education	University of Florida (BA)

Early life, education, and career

Miller was born in St. Petersburg, Florida. After graduating from Bronson High School in 1977, he served for one year under the National FFA Organization as Florida state Secretary. Miller went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism[1] from the University of Florida in 1984.[2] He was a real estate broker and a deputy sheriff before taking public office.[3]

Personal life

Miller lives in the small town of Chumuckla, Florida (Native American word for "Healing Waters"), which is located about 20 miles northeast of Pensacola, Florida. He and his wife Vicki have two children and four grandchildren and are members of Olive Baptist Church.

Florida Legislature

Miller was an executive assistant to Democratic state Agriculture Commissioner Doyle Conner from 1984 to 1988. He was a Democrat until he switched parties in 1997.[4]

Miller was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from November 3, 1998 to October 16, 2001.[2] During his three years there, he was a member of the committees on Utilities & Telecommunications, Congressional Redistricting, Council for Ready Infrastructure, and Rules, Ethics & Elections. During his second term in the state house, Miller was chairman of the Utilities of Telecommunications Committee. He also oversaw a board in charge of community development in Escambia County.

U.S. House of Representatives

Congressman Jeff Miller and Captain Enrique Sadsad cut a cake at Naval Air Station Whiting Field

Congressman Jeff Miller introduces former Senator and Republican party presidential candidate Fred Thompson at a Florida rally in 2007

After Republican incumbent Joe Scarborough resigned five months into his fourth term, Miller won a crowded six-way special Republican primary with 54 percent of the vote. By this time, the 1st had become the most Republican district in Florida, and one of the most Republican districts in the South. Thus, for all intents and purposes, Miller assured himself of becoming the district's next congressman with his primary victory. He won the special election with 66 percent of the vote. He won a full term in 2002 with 75 percent of the vote, and was reelected six more times with only nominal opposition, never dropping below 69 percent of the vote. He didn't face a major-party challenger in 2006 or 2010.

Miller announced that he would not seek reelection during the 2016 elections.[5]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Armed Services
  • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities
• Committee on Veterans’ Affairs (Chairman)
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence

Caucus memberships

• International Conservation Caucus
• Israel Allies Caucus
• Liberty Caucus
• Sportsmen's Caucus
• Congressional Constitution Caucus[6]
• Friends of Wales Caucus

During the 107th Congress, he served on the House Armed Services Committee (Subcommittee on Total Force[7] and the Subcommittee on Military Research and Development[7]) and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.[3]

During the 108th Congress, he served on the House Armed Services Committee (Subcommittee on Readiness[8] and the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities[8]) and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.[9]

During the 109th Congress, he served on the House Armed Services Committee (Subcommittee on Readiness[10] the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities,[10] and the Subcommittee on Projection Forces[10]), the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the United States Select Bipartisan Committee on Hurricane Katrina Preparation/Response Investigation.[11]

Political positions

Miller typically votes along Republican party lines.

Foreign affairs

• Anti-Dubai Port Deal[12]
• Pro-defense spending[13]
• Pro-increased veterans' benefits[14]
• Supports continued U.S. military involvement in Iraq[15]
• Supports creation of usable "mini-nukes"
• Pro-military tribunals for detainees[16]
• Anti-United Nations[17]

Economics

• Against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (September 29, 2008 vote)[18]
• Pro-making President Bush's tax cuts permanent[19]
• Pro-Social Security reform/privatization[20] (see Social Security debate in the United States)
• Pro-media diversification[21]
• On the fence regarding Internet radio and webcasting[22]
• Anti-"A la carte" cable television[23]
• Anti-farm subsidies – Voted against the farm bill[24]
• Pro-free trade[25]
• Pro-drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge[26]
• Miller signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.[27]

Government

• Anti-house ethics rules[28]
• Anti-lobbying reform[29]
• Pro-cutting congressmembers' pay[30]

Social issues

• Anti-abortion[31]
• Anti-human embryonic stem cell research[32]
• Anti-gay rights[33]
• Pro-Immigration reform (anti illegal immigration)[34]
• Pro-NRA / Anti-gun control[35]
• Pro-medical malpractice reform[36]
• Pro-education vouchers[37]

Legislation sponsored

This is a partial list of legislation sponsored by Miller.

• To establish a commission or task force to evaluate the backlog of disability claims of the Department of Veterans Affairs – a bill that would create a task force to address the issue of a large backlog of veterans disability claims.[38]
• TSA Loose Change Act (H.R. 1095; 113th Congress) – a bill that would force the Transportation Security Administration to give the money left behind by passengers at TSA checkpoints to private charities that provide travel-related services to the members of the U.S. military and their families.[39] Miller introduced the bill on March 12, 2013.[40]
• GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act of 2013 (H.R. 357; 113th Congress) – a bill that would require states to offer veterans the in-state tuition price instead of the out-of-state tuition price regardless of whether the veteran met the residency requirement.[41] The bill would also make other changes to veterans' benefits.[42] The bill passed the House of Representatives on February 3, 2014.
• Department of Veterans Affairs Management Accountability Act of 2014 (H.R. 4031; 113th Congress) – a bill that would give the United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs the authority to remove or demote any individual from the Senior Executive Service upon determining that such individual's performance warrants removal or demotion.[43] The bill was written in response to a scandal indicating that some VA hospitals were keeping secret waiting lists for care, the length of which may have led to the deaths of some veterans.[44]
• Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014 (H.R. 4810; 113th Congress) – a bill that would allow United States veterans to receive their healthcare from non-VA facilities under certain conditions.[45][46] The bill is a response to the Veterans Health Administration scandal of 2014, in which it was discovered that there was systematic lying about the wait times veterans experienced waiting to be seen by doctors.[47][48] By June 5, 2014, Veterans Affairs internal investigations had identified a total of 35 veterans who had died while waiting for care in the Phoenix VHA system.[49] Miller said that the wait times veterans were forced to face was "a national disgrace."[50]

Electoral history

• 2001 Special House Election – Florida 1st District
  • Jeff Miller (R) 66%
  • Steve Briese (D) 28%
  • John G. Ralls, Jr. (NPA) 6%
• 2002 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District – Republican Primary
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 64%
  • Mike Francisco (R), 36%
• 2002 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 74%
  • Bert Oram (D), 26%
• 2004 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 76%
  • Mark Coutu (D), 24%
• 2006 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 69%
  • Joe Roberts (D), 30%
• 2008 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 70%
  • Jim Bryan (D), 29%
• 2010 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 81%
  • Joe Cantrell (NPA), 10%
  • John Krause (NPA), 8%
• 2012 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 70%
  • Jim Bryan (D), 27%
  • Calen Fretts (LBT), 3%
• 2014 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District – Republican Primary
  • Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 75%
  • John Krause (R), 25%
• 2014 Race for U.S. House of Representatives – Florida 1st District
• Jeff Miller (R) (inc.), 70%
  • Jim Bryan (D), 23%
  • Mark Wichern (NPA), 6%

References

1. "Jeff Miller at NNDB".
2. "Jeff Miller's Florida House of Representatives Profile".
3. "Jeff Miller's Profile". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01.
4. "Jeff Miller's AP Candidate Profile".
5. Isern, Will (March 10, 2016). "Jeff Miller will not seek re-election". Pensacola News Journal. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
6. "Members". Congressional Constitution Caucus. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
7. "House Armed Services Subcommittee membership list, 107th Congress". Archived from the original on December 14, 2002. Retrieved 2006-03-03.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
8. "House Armed Services Subcommittee membership list, 108th Congress". Archived from the original on June 3, 2004.
9. "Jeff Miller's Committee Membership". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-03.
10. "House Armed Services Subcommittee membership list". Archived from the original on 2004-06-03. Retrieved 2006-03-03.
11. "Vote Smart info on Hurricane Katrina Preparation/Response Investigation Committee". Archived from the original on 2006-02-13. Retrieved 2006-03-06.
12. "Jeff Miller on Dubai Port Deal". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
13. Jeff Miller on Defense Archived 2006-03-01 at the Wayback Machine (That region of the Gulf Coast has several military bases)
14. "Jeff Miller on Veterans' Benefits". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
15. "Jeff Miller on War & Peace". ontheissues.org.
16. Voted Aye on S. 3930: Military Commissions Act of 2006
17. "Jeff Miller on the United Nations".
18. "Bailout Roll Call" (PDF). 2008-09-29. Retrieved September 29, 2008.
19. "Jeff Miller on Taxes". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
20. "Jeff Miller on Social Security". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
21. Jeff Miller on Telecommunications Archived 2006-03-01 at the Wayback Machine states that he supported H.R. 2052: Preservation of Localism, Program Diversity, and Competition in Television Broadcast Service Act
22. "Jeff Miller on Internet Radio". Archived from the original on 2007-05-16. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
23. "Jeff Miller on Telecommunications". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01.
24. "Jeff Miller on Agriculture". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
25. Voted Aye on DR-CAFTA: H.R. 3045: Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
26. "Jeff Miller on the Environment". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
27. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-10-15. Retrieved 2014-10-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
28. Just how tangled up in the GOP Culture of Corruption is Jeff Miller?
29. Voted Nay on H. Res. 648: To eliminate floor privileges and access to Member exercise facilities for registered lobbyists...
30. "Jeff Miller on Government Reform". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-03.
31. "Jeff Miller on Abortion". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
32. Voted Nay on H.R. 810: Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005
33. "Jeff Miller on Civil Rights". On the Issues.
34. "Jeff Miller on Immigration". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
35. "Jeff Miller on 2nd Amendment Rights". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
36. "Jeff Miller on Healthcare". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
37. "Jeff Miller on Education". Archived from the original on 2006-03-01. Retrieved 2006-03-01.
38. "H.R. 2189 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
39. Thorp, Frank (3 December 2013). "House: Give loose change left at TSA gates to troop group". NBC News. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
40. "H.R. 1095 – All Actions". United States Congress. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
41. Kasperowicz, Pete (3 February 2014). "House votes to give vets in-state tuition rates". The Hill. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
42. "H.R. 357 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
43. "H.R. 4031 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
44. Gehrke, Joel (17 May 2014). "Veterans Affairs official resigns as White House says there's 'just a suggestion' of scandal". The Washington Examiner. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
45. "H.R. 4810 – Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
46. "CBO – H.R. 4810" (PDF). Congressional Budget Office. Retrieved 12 June 2014.
47. Griffin, Richard J., Acting Inspector General, Interim Report: Review of Patient Wait Times, Scheduling Practices, and Alleged Patient Deaths at the Phoenix Health Care System, VA Office of Inspector General, Veterans Health Administration, Dept. of Veterans Affairs, May 28, 2014, 14-02603-178, Washington, D.C., retrieved June 7, 2014
48. Scott Bronstein and Drew Griffin. "A fatal wait: Veterans languish and die on a VA hospital's secret list". CNN. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
49. Associated Press. "VA chief: 18 vets left off waiting list have died". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
50. Marcos, Cristina (10 June 2014). "House passes VA overhaul bill... twice". The Hill. Retrieved 12 June 2014.

External links

• Jeff Miller at Curlie
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress