Jefferson Bingham Miller (born June 27, 1959) is an American politician who served as the
U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2017. A member of the
Republican Party, his district included all of
Escambia County,
Santa Rosa County,
Okaloosa County,
Walton County,
Holmes County and
Washington County.
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 from the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
in 1984.
He was a
real estate broker and a
deputy sheriff before taking public office.
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.
Miller was a member of the
Florida House of Representatives from November 3, 1998 to October 16, 2001.
During his three years there, he was a member of the committees o
Utilities & TelecommunicationsCongressional RedistrictingCouncil for Ready Infrastructure an
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
After Republican incumbent
Joe Scarborough
Charles Joseph Scarborough (; born April 9, 1963) is an American television host, attorney, political commentator, and former politician who is the co-host of ''Morning Joe'' on MSNBC with his wife Mika Brzezinski. He previously hosted ''Scarbo ...
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
The following elections occurred in the year 2016.
Africa
Benin Republic
* 2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016
Cape Verde
* 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016
Chad
* 2016 Chadian presidential election 1 ...
.
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
*
Friends of Wales Caucus
During the 107th Congress, he served on the
House Armed Services Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of De ...
(
Subcommittee on Total Force and the
Subcommittee on Military Research and Development) and the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
During the 108th Congress, he served on the
House Armed Services Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of De ...
(
Subcommittee on Readiness and the
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities) and the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.
During the 109th Congress, he served on the
House Armed Services Committee
The U.S. House Committee on Armed Services, commonly known as the House Armed Services Committee or HASC, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for funding and oversight of the Department of De ...
(
Subcommittee on Readiness the
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities,
and the
Subcommittee on Projection Forces), the
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the
United States Select Bipartisan Committee on Hurricane Katrina Preparation/Response Investigation.
Political positions
Miller typically votes along Republican party lines.
Foreign affairs
* Anti-
Dubai Port Deal
* Pro-defense spending
* Pro-increased veterans' benefits
* Supports continued U.S. military involvement in Iraq
* Supports creation of usable "mini-nukes"
* Pro-military tribunals for detainees
* Anti-
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
Economics
* Against the
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, often called the "bank bailout of 2008", was proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, passed by the 110th United States Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush. It became ...
(September 29, 2008 vote)
* Pro-making President Bush's tax cuts permanent
* Pro-
Social Security
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...
reform/privatization ''(see
Social Security debate in the United States
This article concerns proposals to change the Social Security system in the United States. Social Security is a social insurance program officially called "Old-age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance" (OASDI), in reference to its three components ...
)''
* Pro-media diversification
* On the fence regarding Internet radio and webcasting
* Anti-
"A la carte" cable television
* Anti-farm subsidies – Voted against the farm bill
* Pro-
free trade
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...
* Pro-drilling in Alaska's
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
* Miller signed a pledge sponsored by
Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity (AFP), founded in 2004, is a libertarian conservative political advocacy group in the United States funded by Charles Koch and formerly his brother David. As the Koch brothers' primary political advocacy group, it is one ...
promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.
Government
* Anti-house ethics rules
* Anti-lobbying reform
* Pro-cutting congressmembers' pay
Social issues
*
Anti-abortion
* Anti-
human embryonic stem cell research
* Anti-
gay rights
* Pro-
Immigration reform (anti
illegal immigration)
* Pro-NRA / Anti-gun control
* Pro-medical malpractice reform
* Pro-education vouchers
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.
*
TSA Loose Change Act (H.R. 1095; 113th Congress) – a bill that would force the
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that has authority over the security of transportation systems within, and connecting to the United States. It was created ...
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.
Miller introduced the bill on March 12, 2013.
*
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.
The bill would also make other changes to veterans' benefits.
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.
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.
*
Veteran Access to Care Act of 2014 (H.R. 4810; 113th Congress) – a bill that would allow United States
veterans
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military.
A military veteran that h ...
to receive their healthcare from non-VA facilities under certain conditions.
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.
[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 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.
Miller said that the wait times veterans were forced to face was "a national disgrace."
Electoral history
2001
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
References
External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Jeff
1959 births
21st-century American politicians
American deputy sheriffs
Baptists from Florida
Living people
Members of the Florida House of Representatives
People from Santa Rosa County, Florida
Politicians from St. Petersburg, Florida
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Florida
University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications alumni
Florida Democrats
American real estate brokers
20th-century American businesspeople
Businesspeople from Florida