[3] He attended Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, and served briefly in the United States Army in 1967 being discharged after seven weeks of boot camp at Fort Ord near Monterey.
In the February 1990 special election (open primary), Miller ranked fourth, or last, among Republicans in the field, getting just 16% of the vote.
[5] In 1995, Miller ran in a special election for a seat in the California State Assembly in the 60th district after incumbent Paul Horcher was recalled.
Partly due to this, Miller announced in January 2012 that he would run in the newly created 31st district, located entirely in San Bernardino County.
Miller's move effectively ended the career of House Rules Committee chairman David Dreier, who had represented a large slice of the new 31st.
During the 112th Congress, Miller introduced legislation to build off the success of the 2005 pilot program to further improve highway project delivery by eliminating bureaucratic red tape and restoring greater control to state and local governments.
[14] In August 2011, Congressman Miller introduced the Breaking Down Barriers Act, which provides common sense proposals to make highway project delivery more efficient.
[16] Congressman Miller stated his resolution and plan to lower gas prices and work for a long-term solution for the country.
[17] In 2010 Miller signed a pledge sponsored by Americans for Prosperity promising to vote against any Global Warming legislation that would raise taxes.
[22] Congressman Miller is also a long time supporter of the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.
Congressman Miller supports continuing the extension of benefits to all veterans of the armed services of the United States.
In 2006, after widespread demonstrations by immigrants, Miller wrote: "Too bad their protest didn't include giving up government-paid social services—because a day without illegal aliens would be a boon to U.S.
"[25] Miller backed the development of a rail link between Ontario and Anaheim, part of a proposed 269-mile (433 km) line between Orange County and Las Vegas.
"Once completed, there would be no need for an airport in south Orange County, and the Inland Empire will reap the economic benefits as a true transportation hub," Miller said.
Miller, a history buff, become involved in the preservation of Civil War battlefields, after he played a bit part in the 2003 movie Gods and Generals.
[26] In 2011, Miller voted for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 as part of a controversial provision that allows the government and the military to indefinitely detain American citizens and others without trial.
Miller told the Internal Revenue Service and the state of California that Monrovia had forced him to sell the property under threat of eminent domain.
Monrovia officials stated that Miller sold the land willingly and that they didn't threaten to force him to sell.
Another, earlier videotape confirmed Miller's position that the city had refused to let him develop the land and threatened "condemnation" of his property for public use.
Although all early drafts of Monrovia's sales contract with Miller included the phrase "friendly condemnation", it was deleted when the final deal was made.
Miller and his wife signed an amendment to the escrow instructions on August 1, 2002, saying, "condemnation deleted", or no longer in effect.
Miller also helped secure $1.28 million in that bill for street improvements in front of a planned housing and retail center, including a Target store that he co-owned with Lewis Operating.
[31] This included having congressional staff do Miller's personal errands, collecting nearly $25,000 a year in rent from his campaign committee, using the offices of his real estate development firm as his campaign office, and ordering an aide to find a way to get a city business-friendly council member on the National Park Board who was involved in a city purchase of Miller's property.
[31] In May 2010, the FOX affiliate MyFOXLA interviewed Miller over claims led by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) stating he "directed millions of dollars in government money to non-profits headed by one of his campaign contributor[s], developer Jeffrey Burum".
[37] In 2006, prosecutors allowed him to change his plea to not guilty and dismissed the case after he completed probation, a parenting class, and 224 hours of community service.
Congressman Miller commented that, "My wife and I are extremely relieved that after more than 3 1/2 years our grandchildren have been found unharmed and returned safely to the United States" and that he was "eternally grateful" to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Mexican authorities and "all those whose hard work and unwavering dedication made this possible".