Join the Debate Sept. 8

Join me for a live debate on September 8th in Vacaville between me and my opponent in the November election. A Tea Party Republican is running against me who plans to take America back to the failed policies of George W. Bush that rewarded Wall Street and big insurance companies and wrecked the economy.  My challenger, Rick Tubbs, would extend the Bush tax cuts for the rich, cut spending on critical community services, and eliminate regulations that hold corporations accountable, protect workers’ lives and safeguard consumers. We can’t go back to that.  We must keep moving America forward. Here are the details for the debate:

Date:  Wednesday, September 8, 2010

 Time:  6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

 Location:  Travis Credit Union Auditorium, 1 Travis Way, Vacaville

Please let me know if you can attend the debate, and let me know if you want to order a T-Shirt, a bumper sticker or a lawn sign. Email: dave@georgemillerforcongress.com.

Thank you for your support!

Make It In America - Washington Post

New Democratic strategy for creating jobs focuses on a boost in manufacturing

By Lori Montgomery and Brady Dennis

The Washington Post, 8/4/10

President Obama and congressional Democrats — out of options for another quick shot of stimulus spending to revive the sluggish economy — are shifting toward a longer-term strategy that promises to tackle persistently high unemployment by engineering a renaissance in American manufacturing.

That approach, heralded by Obama last week in Detroit and sketched out in a memo to House Democrats as they headed home for the August break, is still evolving and so far focuses primarily on raising taxes on multinational corporations that Democrats accuse of shipping jobs overseas. 

The strategy also repackages policies long pursued by the White House — such as investing in clean energy, roads, bridges and broadband service — with more than two dozen legislative proposals aimed at developing a plan for promoting domestic manufacturing.Read more… 

GOP Blocking Small Business Jobs - Again!

They did what?

In yet another sign the Republicans will do anything to see Obama fail even if it means Americans will suffer for it, Republicans in the Senate are blocking a small business jobs bill that business groups and Democrats are trying to pass.  Republicans in the Senate have opposed job creation down the line — opposed jobs for teachers, jobs for police, jobs for construction workers, and now job creation through small business.  Democrats will keep fighting for jobs, but as long as Republicans use their 41 seats in the Senate to run the filibuster, hard-working Americans will pay the price.

Miller’s Child Nutrition Bill Advances

House bill would make school lunches healthier

By MARY CLARE JALONICK

Associated Press Writer

July 15, 2010 

      WASHINGTON—House Democrats are moving forward on first lady Michelle Obama’s vision for healthier school lunches, propelling legislation that calls for tougher standards governing food in school and more meals for hungry children.

A bill approved by the House Education and Labor Committee Thursday would allow the Agriculture Department to create new standards for all food in schools, including vending machine items. The legislation would spend about $8 billion more over 10 years on nutrition programs…

…California Rep. George Miller, the Democratic chairman of the committee, said improving school lunches now will help reduce health care costs in the long term.

“The cost of childhood obesity to the health of our children and our economy is staggering,” he said. “We have to get rid of the junk food, get rid of the endless sugar and empty calories in our schools.”

Read the whole story…

Miller Wins BP Amendment

House committee passes ban on future BP leases

By Timothy Gardner and Tom Doggett

Reuters

July 14, 2010 

WASHINGTON- BP Plc’s safety record would bar the company from getting new U.S. offshore oil and gas exploration leases for up to seven years under bill language passed on Wednesday by a U.S. House committee.

The Committee on Natural Resources voted to pass an amendment by Representative George Miller, a California Democrat, that would prevent BP and other companies from getting new leases from the Department of the Interior unless they pass safety and environmental requirements.

The amendment did not mention BP specifically, but it would not allow any company to get leases that had more than 10 fatalities at drilling and production facilities or refineries that resulted from violations of federal or state health and environment laws within the last seven years.

“The Miller amendment would prohibit BP or any other company with an egregious worker and environmental safety record from new offshore oil and gas drilling,” Miller’s office said in an email after the vote.

The measure was added to a sweeping bill that the committee expected to clear on Thursday morning, but which would have to pass both the full House and Senate before reaching President Barack Obama’s desk.

BP pleaded guilty to criminal charges stemming from the 2005 blast at its refinery in Texas City, Texas, that killed 15 workers and injured 180.

The Justice Department is interviewing witnesses in its criminal and civil investigations into the April 20 explosion of the rig that damaged BP’s well that is gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico and harming multibillion dollar fishing and tourism industries across five states.

George in Vacaville for Boys and Girls Club

On July 7, George attended the Boys and Girls Club barbecue and celebration in Vacaville. From the Vacaville Reporter…

“The most coveted award of the afternoon was bestowed upon the Youth of the Year, 16-year-old Mur-Ray Colbert. Mur-Ray was honored not only for overcoming obstacles in her life to achieve academic success but also for her work with youth at each of the neighborhood sites. Rep. George Miller, D-Solano personally acknowledged Mur-Ray and presented her with a plaque.”

See the whole story.

At Home With Health Care and Student Loan Victory

George Miller was in his district last week talking with constituents and the news media about the great victory on health care and student loans and other pressing local matters.  Read about it here:

The Vacaville Reporter

Contra Costa Times

We Did It!

“For every American who has fought with health insurance companies, and for every American who has struggled without health care coverage at all, we have changed the landscape in America.  We have, together, for the first time in our history guaranteed access to affordable quality care for all Americans.  We could not have done it without the leadership of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi, nor without people like you who have supported us along the way.  Thank you.”

— Congressman George Miller, March 23, 2010, who was at the White House today for the signing ceremony for the health care bill.

Read about early benefits of the bill.  

NYT - Key Moment in Health Reform Battle

March 22, 2010, 12:22 am

A Turning Point in the Health Care Fight

By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN

Lots of Democrats can point to lots of different moments when they think the health care bill was brought back from the brink of collapse. But for a number of senior House Democrats, the crucial turning point was a meeting the night of March 9 in the offices of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It was supposed to be a strategy session with Senate Democratic leaders about the budget reconciliation procedure that Democrats were planning to use to make final changes to the health care bill and push them through the Senate on a simple majority vote.

Instead, the session focused entirely on the question of whether to include another of President Obama’s top legislative priorities — a sweeping overhaul of federal student loan programs — in the reconciliation package. The budget resolution approved by Congress last spring provided for completing both major health care legislation and major education legislation through reconciliation, which adjusts federal policy to meet specific goals for reducing the deficit.

A trio of House leaders — Representatives James E. Clyburn, the Democratic whip; George Miller, the chairman of the Education and Labor Committee; and Xavier Becerra of California, the vice chairman of the Democratic caucus — argued strenuously in favor of including the education proposal.

Read the whole thing.