Gary Miller (U.S. House of Representatives)

Gary Miller

Republican Party

Prior offices

City Council of Diamond Bar California

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Mayor Diamond Bar California

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California State Assembly District 60

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U.S. House California District 31

Successor: Pete Aguilar

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Report an officeholder change

Compensation

Net worth

(2012) $46,542,523

Education

Bachelor's

Mount San Antonio College

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Army

Years of service

1967 - 1967

Personal

Religion

Christian

Profession

Business owner

Gary Miller (b. October 16, 1948, in Huntsville, AR) is a former Republican member of the U.S. House. He represented California's 31st Congressional District from 1999 to 2015. Miller did not seek re-election in 2014. He stated, "It has been a great honor to spend so many years in public service, striving to make a difference for southern California families. While there is still a lot of work to be done, it is now time for me to pass the baton. I will not seek re-election to Congress at the end of this term."

Prior to his career in the U.S. House, Miller served in the California State Assembly from 1995 to 1999.

Career

Below is an abbreviated outline of Miller's academic, professional, and political career:

• 1967: United States Army
• 1992-1994: Mayor, Diamond Bar, California
• 1989-1992: City Council of Diamond Bar, California
• 1992-1994: Mayor of Diamond Bar, California
• 1995-1999: California State Assembly
• 1999-2015: U.S. Representative from California

Committee assignments

U.S. House

2013-2014

Miller served on the following committees:

• Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
• Financial Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Debt
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance

2011-2012

Miller served on the following committees:

• Financial Services Committee
  • Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity
  • Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade, Chair
• Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
  • Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
  • Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Key votes

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 224 out of the 3215 introduced bills (7 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session. For more information pertaining to Miller's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.

National security

HR 644

See also: Bowe Bergdahl exchange

On September 9, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 644, a resolution condemning President Barack Obama's act of exchanging five Guantanamo Bay prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. The House voted 249-163 for resolution, with all Republicans and 22 Democrats supporting the bill. Fourteen Democrats and five Republicans did not vote on the resolution, while all other Democrats opposed its passage. Miller did not vote on the resolution.

NDAA

Miller voted for HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.

DHS Appropriations

Miller voted for HR 2217 - the DHS Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 that was largely along party lines.

CISPA (2013)

Miller did not vote on HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill permitted federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities. The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.

Economy

Farm bill

On January 29, 2014, the U.S. House approved the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, H.R. 2642, also known as the Farm Bill. The bill passed by a vote of 251-166. The nearly 1,000-page bill reformed and continued various programs of the Department of Agriculture through 2018. The $1 trillion bill expanded crop insurance for farmers by $7 billion over the next decade and created new subsidies for rice and peanut growers that would kick in when prices drop. It also cut the food stamp program an average of $90 per month for 1.7 million people in 15 states. Miller voted with 62 other Republican representatives against the bill.

2014 Budget

On January 15, 2014, the Republican-run House approved H.R. 3547, a $1.1 trillion spending bill to fund the government through September 30, 2014. The House voted 359-67 for the 1,582-page bill, with 64 Republicans and three Democrats voting against the bill. The omnibus package included 12 annual spending bills to fund federal operations. It increased the paychecks of federal workers and military personnel by 1 percent, increased Head Start funding for early childhood education by $1 billion, reduced funding to the Internal Revenue Service and the Environmental Protection Agency, and protected the Affordable Care Act from any drastic cuts. Miller voted with the majority of the Republican Party in favor of the bill.

Government shutdown

See also: United States budget debate, 2013

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201. At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference. Miller voted for the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.

The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies. The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Miller voted for HR 2775.

When questioned about whether he would support a clean funding bill to end the government shutdown, Miller responding by simply putting his hand over the camera lens and pushing it away. When questioned about the incident, Miller responding by saying, "I am deeply concerned about the impact this shutdown is having on working families, veterans, and seniors in the Inland Empire. The House has continued to pass funding measures to ensure vital government functions and services can continue. But, any agreement will require both sides coming together. In all my time in Congress, I have never seen the solution to a disagreement come without both sides coming to the negotiating table."

Federal Pay Adjustment Act

Miller voted for HR 273 - Eliminates the 2013 Statutory Pay Adjustment for Federal Employees. The bill passed the House on February 15, 2013, with a vote of 261 - 154. The bill called for stopping a 0.5 percent pay increase for all federal workers from taking effect. The raises were projected to cost $11 billion over 10 years.

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Miller voted for House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain individuals residing in the United States without legal status. The vote largely followed party lines.

Healthcare

Healthcare Reform Rules

Miller voted for House Amendment 450 - Requires Congressional Approval for Any Rules Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The amendment was adopted by the House on August 2, 2013, with a vote of 227-185. The amendment requires that all changes to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act be approved by Congress before taking effect. The vote was largely along party lines.

Social issues

Abortion

Miller voted for HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196 that largely followed party lines. The purpose of the bill was to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.

Government affairs

HR 676

See also: Boehner's lawsuit against the Obama administration

On July 30, 2014, the U.S. House approved a resolution 225 to 201 to sue President Barack Obama for exceeding his constitutional authority. Five Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Paul Broun of Georgia, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Walter Jones of North Carolina and Steve Stockman of Texas—voted with Democrats against the lawsuit. Miller joined the other 224 Republicans in favor of the lawsuit. All Democrats voted against the resolution.

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Miller voted for the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 85 Republicans that voted in favor of the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257 - 167 vote on January 1, 2013.

Issues

Poll on 2013 immigration plan

Several Republican members of the U.S. House may have faced a tougher path to re-election in 2014 because the Gang of Eight's immigration bill did not pass in the House in 2013, according to a Public Policy Poll released in July 2013.

According to the poll, a majority of voters in seven Republican congressional districts said they were less likely to vote for their representative if he or she failed to support the plan. Public Policy Polling described the bill to respondents, saying that it would "secure our borders, block employers from hiring undocumented immigrants, and make sure that undocumented immigrants already in the U.S. with no criminal record register for legal status. If a long list of requirements is met over more than a decade, it provides eligibility for a path to citizenship."

Miller represented one of those seven districts. Voters also reported in the poll that they were less likely to support Republican candidates in the 2014 general election if the Republican House members blocked this immigration proposal. Voters in all seven districts had at least 61 percent support for the Senate’s immigration plan.

Earmarks

A Washington Post investigation in February 2012 revealed that 33 members of Congress helped direct more than $300 million in earmarks to public projects in close proximity to commercial and residential real estate owned by the lawmakers or their family members. According to the report, Miller secured $1.28 million in earmarks to help repave, re-landscape and install new drains along Grand Avenue in Diamond Bar, California. The project, previously reported by The Inland Valley Daily Bulletin of Ontario, upgraded an access road for a residential and retail development that he co-owned with a campaign donor. Miller sold the property months after securing the earmark.

Elections

2014

See also: California's 31st Congressional District elections, 2014

Miller did not seek re-election to the 31st District in 2014. He stated, "It has been a great honor to spend so many years in public service, striving to make a difference for southern California families. While there is still a lot of work to be done, it is now time for me to pass the baton. I will not seek re-election to Congress at the end of this term."

2012

See also: California's 31st Congressional District elections, 2012

Miller won re-election in the 2012 election for the U.S. House, representing California's 31st District as a Republican. He was displaced from the 42nd District by redistricting. He decided to move to the 31st District after Congressman Jerry Lewis announced that he would be retiring. He and Bob Dutton (R) advanced past the blanket primary on June 5, 2012, defeating Justin Kim (D), Rita Ramirez-Dean (D), Renea Wickman (D) and Pete Aguilar (D). Miller went on to defeat Dutton in the general election on November 6, 2012.

According to an article on March 30, 2012, from The Washington Post, that noted the top 10 incumbents who could have lost their primaries, Miller was the 9th most likely incumbent to lose his primary.

U.S. House, California District 31 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Gary Miller Incumbent	55.2%	88,964
	Republican	Bob Dutton	44.8%	72,255
Total Votes				161,219
Source: California Secretary of State "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

U.S. House, California District 31 Open Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Gary Miller (R) Incumbent	26.7%	16,708
Bob Dutton (R)	24.8%	15,557
Pete Aguilar (D)	22.6%	14,181
Justin Kim (D)	13.5%	8,487
Renea Wickman (D)	6.7%	4,188
Rita Ramirez-Dean (D)	5.7%	3,546
Total Votes		62,667

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Gary Miller, click [show] to expand the section.

2010 On November 2, 2010, Gary Miller won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Michael Williamson (D) and Mark Lambert (L) in the general election. U.S. House, California District 42 General Election, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Gary Miller incumbent 62.2% 127,161      Democratic Michael Williamson 31.9% 65,122      Libertarian Mark Lambert 5.9% 12,115 Total Votes 204,398 2008 On November 4, 2008, Gary Miller won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Edwin Chau (D) in the general election. U.S. House, California District 42 General Election, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Gary Miller incumbent 60.2% 158,404      Democratic Edwin Chau 39.8% 104,909 Total Votes 263,313 2006 On November 7, 2006, Gary Miller won re-election to the United States House. He ran unopposed in the general election. U.S. House, California District 42 General Election, 2006 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Gary Miller incumbent 100% 129,720 Total Votes 129,720 2004 On November 2, 2004, Gary Miller won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Lewis Myers (D) in the general election. U.S. House, California District 42 General Election, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Gary Miller incumbent 68.1% 167,632      Democratic Lewis Myers 31.9% 78,393 Total Votes 246,025 2002 On November 5, 2002, Gary Miller won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Richard Waldron (D) and Donald Yee (L) in the general election. U.S. House, California District 42 General Election, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Gary Miller incumbent 67.8% 98,476      Democratic Richard Waldron 29% 42,090      Libertarian Donald Yee 3.2% 4,680 Total Votes 145,246 2000 On November 7, 2000, Gary Miller won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Rodolfo Favila (D) and David Kramer (Natural Law) in the general election. U.S. House, California District 41 General Election, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Gary Miller incumbent 58.9% 104,695      Democratic Rodolfo Favila 37.4% 66,361      Natural Law David Kramer 3.7% 6,560 Total Votes 177,616 1998 On November 3, 1998, Gary Miller won election to the United States House. He defeated Eileen Ansari (D), Cynthia Allaire (G), Kenneth Valentine (L) and David Kramer (Natural Law) in the general election. U.S. House, California District 41 General Election, 1998 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Gary Miller 53.2% 68,310      Democratic Eileen Ansari 40.7% 52,264      Green Cynthia Allaire 2.8% 3,597      Libertarian Kenneth Valentine 2% 2,529      Natural Law David Kramer 1.3% 1,714 Total Votes 128,414

Campaign themes

2012

Miller's campaign website listed the following issues:

• Taxes

Excerpt: "Since coming to Congress, I have been a tireless advocate of lower taxes and a believer that Americans deserve to keep more of their hard earned dollars. As as our economy continues to recover from a deep and prolonged recession, I believe that raising taxes will only hinder economic growth and create additional burdens for American families, who have seen their wages and home values fall, while the cost of energy and many consumer goods continue to climb."

• Education

Excerpt: "The future of our nation is dependent upon an educated workforce. Ensuring that our children have access to a quality education remains a top priority of mine in Congress. States and local school district must be given the flexibility they need to meet their needs without onerous regulations and mandates from government bureaucrats."

• Budget, Deficit, Debt

Excerpt: "Since President Obama took office, out-of-control federal spending has sent our national debt soaring in excess of $15 trillion, putting the future prosperity of our great nation at risk."

• Jobs & the Economy

Excerpt: "Job creation is vital to our economic recovery. While there have been some recent modest signs of improvement, the sad fact is millions of Americans remain out of work, are struggling to find full-time work, or have dropped out of the labor force altogether."

• Second Amendment

Excerpt: "I am an adamant defender of the 2nd Amendment. Congress must not improperly hamper the right of law-abiding citizens to bear arms. If we are to honor and uphold the Constitution, this right cannot be infringed. "

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Gary Miller campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2012	U.S. House (California, District 31)	Won	$1,271,829	N/A**
Grand total			$1,271,829	N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Personal Gain Index

See also: Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress)

The Personal Gain Index (U.S. Congress) is a two-part measurement that illustrates the extent to which members of the U.S. Congress have prospered during their tenure as public servants.
It consists of two different metrics:

• Changes in Net Worth
• The Donation Concentration Metric

PGI: Change in net worth

See also: Changes in Net Worth of U.S. Senators and Representatives (Personal Gain Index) and Net worth of United States Senators and Representatives

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Miller's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $17,813,046 and $75,272,000. That averages to $46,542,523, which is higher than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Miller ranked as the 13th most wealthy representative in 2012. Between 2004 and 2012, Miller's calculated net worth decreased by an average of 2 percent per year. Between 2004 and 2012, the average annual percentage increase for a member of Congress was 15.4 percent.

Gary Miller Yearly Net Worth
Year	Average Net Worth
2004	$55,410,108
2012	$46,542,523
Growth from 2004 to 2012:	−16%
Average annual growth:	−2%
Comparatively, the American citizen experienced a median yearly decline in net worth of -0.94%.

The data used to calculate changes in net worth may include changes resulting from assets gained through marriage, inheritance, changes in family estates and/or trusts, changes in family business ownership, and many other variables unrelated to a member's behavior in Congress.

PGI: Donation Concentration Metric

See also: The Donation Concentration Metric (U.S. Congress Personal Gain Index)

Filings required by the Federal Election Commission report on the industries that give to each candidate. Using campaign filings and information calculated by OpenSecrets.org, Ballotpedia calculated the percentage of donations by industry received by each incumbent over the course of his or her career (or 1989 and later, if elected prior to 1988). In the 113th Congress, Miller is the Vice-Chair of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services. Miller received the most donations from individuals and PACs employed by the Real Estate industry.

From 1997-2014, 30.31 percent of Miller's career contributions came from the top five industries as listed below.

Gary Miller (U.S. House of Representatives) Campaign Contributions
Total Raised	$6,385,626
Total Spent	$5,199,826
Vice-Chair of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services
Top five industries that contributed to campaign committee
Real Estate	$954,629
Leadership PACs	$276,587
Health Professionals	$262,500
Insurance	$252,760
Misc Issues	$188,900
% total in top industry	14.95%
% total in top two industries	19.28%
% total in top five industries	30.31%

Analysis

Ideology and leadership

See also: GovTrack's Political Spectrum & Legislative Leadership ranking

Based on an analysis of bill sponsorship by GovTrack, Miller was a rank-and-file Republican as of July 2014. This was the same rating Miller received in June 2013.

Like-minded colleagues

The website OpenCongress tracks the voting records of each member to determine with whom he or she votes most and least often. The results include a member from each party.

Miller most often voted with:

• Kevin McCarthy
• Jim Matheson

Miller least often voted with:

• Walter Jones
• James McGovern

Lifetime voting record

See also: Lifetime voting records of United States Senators and Representatives

According to the website GovTrack, Miller missed 1,046 of 10,844 roll call votes from January 1999 to July 2014. This amounts to 9.6 percent, which is worse than the median of 2.5 percent among current congressional representatives as of July 2014.

Congressional staff salaries

See also: Staff salaries of United States Senators and Representatives

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Miller paid his congressional staff a total of $889,359 in 2011. He ranked 106th on the list of the lowest paid Republican representative staff salaries and ranked 130th overall of the lowest paid representative staff salaries in 2011. Overall, California ranked 5th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.

Staff bonuses

According to an analysis by CNN, Miller was one of nearly 25 percent of House members who gave their staff bonuses in 2012. Miller's staff was given an apparent $822.22 in bonus money.

National Journal vote ratings

See also: National Journal vote ratings

Each year National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted in the previous year. Click the link above for the full ratings of all members of Congress.

2013

Miller ranked 167th in the conservative rankings in 2013.

2012

Miller ranked 66th in the conservative rankings in 2012.

2011

Miller ranked 29th in the conservative rankings in 2011.

Voting with party

The website OpenCongress tracks how often members of Congress vote with the majority of the chamber caucus.

2014

Miller voted with the Republican Party 95.4 percent of the time, which ranked 62nd among the 234 House Republican members as of July 2014.

2013

Miller voted with the Republican Party 97.7 percent of the time, which ranked 71st among the 233 House Republican members as of June 2013.

Personal

Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.

Email editor@ballotpedia.org to notify us of updates to this biography.

Miller and his wife, Cathy, have four children.

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term Gary + Miller + California + House

Gary Miller News Feed

See also

• United States House of Representatives
• United States congressional delegations from California
• California's 31st Congressional District elections, 2014
• California's 31st Congressional District

External links

• Social media:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
• Biographies:
  • U.S. Congress
• Political profiles:
  • GovTrack
  • CongressMerge
  • Project Vote Smart
• Financial (federal level):
  • FEC contributions
  • OpenSecrets.org
  • LegiStorm.com
• Interest group ratings:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions:
  • On The Issues
  • Project Vote Smart
• Public statements:
  • Project Vote Smart
• Voting record:
  • Project Vote Smart
  • Washington Post
• Media appearances:
  • C-SPAN

Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Joe Baca	U.S. House - California 1999-2015	Succeeded by Pete Aguilar
Preceded by '	California State Assembly 1995-1998	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Mayor, Diamond Bar 1992-1994	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	City Council of Diamond Bar, California 1989-1992	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Municipal Advisory Council of Diamond Bar, California 1988-1989	Succeeded by '

[show]

California's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Alex Padilla (D)

Adam Schiff (D)

Representatives

District 1

Doug LaMalfa (R)

District 2

Jared Huffman (D)

District 3

Kevin Kiley (R)

District 4

Mike Thompson (D)

District 5

Tom McClintock (R)

District 6

Ami Bera (D)

District 7

Doris Matsui (D)

District 8

John Garamendi (D)

District 9

Josh Harder (D)

District 10

Mark DeSaulnier (D)

District 11

Nancy Pelosi (D)

District 12

Lateefah Simon (D)

District 13

Adam Gray (D)

District 14

Eric Swalwell (D)

District 15

Kevin Mullin (D)

District 16

Sam Liccardo (D)

District 17

Ro Khanna (D)

District 18

Zoe Lofgren (D)

District 19

Jimmy Panetta (D)

District 20

Vince Fong (R)

District 21

Jim Costa (D)

District 22

David Valadao (R)

District 23

Jay Obernolte (R)

District 24

Salud Carbajal (D)

District 25

Raul Ruiz (D)

District 26

Julia Brownley (D)

District 27

George Whitesides (D)

District 28

Judy Chu (D)

District 29

Luz Rivas (D)

District 30

Laura Friedman (D)

District 31

Gil Cisneros (D)

District 32

Brad Sherman (D)

District 33

Pete Aguilar (D)

District 34

Jimmy Gomez (D)

District 35

Norma Torres (D)

District 36

Ted Lieu (D)

District 37

Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D)

District 38

Linda Sánchez (D)

District 39

Mark Takano (D)

District 40

Young Kim (R)

District 41

Ken Calvert (R)

District 42

Robert Garcia (D)

District 43

Maxine Waters (D)

District 44

Nanette Barragán (D)

District 45

Derek Tran (D)

District 46

Lou Correa (D)

District 47

Dave Min (D)

District 48

Darrell Issa (R)

District 49

Mike Levin (D)

District 50

Scott Peters (D)

District 51

Sara Jacobs (D)

District 52

Juan Vargas (D)

Democratic Party (45)

Republican Party (9)