Mark Miller

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Mark Miller

Template:TOCnestleft Mark Miller is a State Senator and Senate Majority leader from Wisconsin.

Miller is serving his first term in the Wisconsin Senate. He serves the 16th Senate District which includes parts of Dane County, Columbia County and the Village and Town of Merrimac in Sauk County. He was elected on November 2, 2004 and was sworn in on January 3, 2005.

Senator Miller is the Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Finance and the Chair of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources. He also serves on the Joint Audit Committee, the Joint Legislative Council Committee, the Joint Committee on Employment Relations, the Joint Committee on Policy Information and Technology and the Claims Board.

He also served on the Governor’s Task Force to Improve Access to Oral Health (2005), the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board, the Child Welfare Program Enhancement Plan Implementation Team, and the Board of Health for Madison and Dane County.[1]

Education

Mark Miller graduated from Middleton High School, received his Bachelor of Science from UW-Madison in 1973. He also attended the Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership Development in 1999 and the Fleming Fellows Leadership Institute in 2002.[2]

Career

Before being elected to the State Senate, Senator Miller served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from January of 1999 to January of 2005. Senator Miller also served on the Dane County Board of Supervisors and was a military pilot in the Air National Guard, retiring in 1995 at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.[3]

Positions

Senator Miller is a leading advocate in health care reform and has led the fight to pass a statewide health care plan in Wisconsin. He is committed to making health care both affordable and accessible. He is the author of legislation requiring health care coverage be provided for Wisconsin residents and children. He has continued to work to find effective and reasonably priced solutions to prescription drug costs and assure good quality health care for all Wisconsin citizens.

Senator Miller is committed to sound environmental policy and conservation. Miller strongly believes it is imperative to prevent contaminated drinking water, reduce runoff pollution into Wisconsin’s lakes, rivers and streams and make Wisconsin more energy self-sufficient. He is the author of legislation that will "reduce our dependence on imported energy, create jobs and encourage a cleaner environment".[4]

RadFest2003

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RadFest 2003 - Midwest Social Forum was held at Aurora University, George Williams - Lake Geneva Campus, Williams Bay, WI. May 30-June 1, 2003.

Mark Miller participated in a forum “Wisconsin’s Future with Healthcare Security for All” (with Gene Farley, Linda Farley, Darcy Haber, Jim McGhee, and Joanne Ricca.

Mark Miller's future Wisconsin State Senate colleague Mark Pocan participated in the “Moving toward Tax Fairness in Wisconsin” with Laura Dresser, and John Peck.[5]

Democratic Socialists of America connections

Mark Miller has ties to Democratic Socialists of America.

DSA support 2004

Mark miller supported by DSA.jpg

In Democratic Socialists of America's Democratic Left Winter 2004/2005, Theresa Alt wrote;[6]

We reported on the candidates that DSAers were supporting in the last issue of Democratic Left. How did they do?
In Wisconsin, progressive incumbents Feingold, Baldwin and Obey won. In a race for an open state senate seat, the favored Mark Miller won handily. However, progressive insurgent Bryan Kennedy lost badly..

"Coalition for Wisconsin Health" health care bill

In the Summer of 2005, State Senator Mark Miller reintroduced Wisconsin organization Coalition for Wisconsin Health's Wisconsin Universal Health Program legislation. Originally known as LRB-2576, the Bill would get a new number when introduced.

Coalition for Wisconsin Health worked to help Miller recruit new cosponsors for the bill.

Other cosponsors of the WUHP in the 2003- 2004 legislative session who had returned in 2005 were Representatives Leon Young, Mark Pocan, and Terese Berceau, and Senators Tim Carpenter, Spencer Coggs, and Fred Risser.

Newly elected Rep. Chuck Benedict, a physician who took part in Coalition for Wisconsin Health's Beloit forum also agreed to sponsor the bill.

Coalition for Wisconsin Health Treasurer at the time was George Robson, Wisconsin United Methodist Federation for Social Action, and Madison Democratic Socialists of America, while Vice Chair was Linda Farley, MD, from the DSA front Physicians for a National Health Program..[7]

"Emergency Town Meeting"

Stoughton emergency town meeting.jpg

Stoughton resident and Democratic Socialists of America member Buzz Davis issued a press release calling an “Emergency Town Meeting for All Public Workers, Concerned Citizens & Retirees” 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 4, 2011

Stoughton’s River Bluff Middle School, 320 North St., Stoughton

“Discuss the budget crises facing our public schools, city and county the Norwegian way” – over coffee and Norwegian baked goods. Assailing Gov. Walker’s budget proposals as “mean spirited,”

Davis has invited state Rep. Gary Hebl, state Sen. Mark Miller, local union leaders and members of the Stoughton school board and common council to speak.[8]

Supported Progressive Health Care Reform

In late 2009, Mark Miller was one of more than 1,000 state legislators to sign a letter entitled "State Legislators for Progressive Health Care Reform". The letter was a project of the Progressive States Network and was developed in consultation with national health care reform advocates, including the AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Community Catalyst, Families USA, Herndon Alliance, National Women's Law Center, Northeast Action, SEIU, and Universal Health Care Action Network. The letter reads in part,[9]

"Failure to pass national comprehensive health reform now will further jeopardize state and local budgets, undermining public services like education, public safety, and transportation infrastructure... We, the undersigned, call on President Obama and the Congress to enact bold and comprehensive health care reform this year – based on these principles and a strong federal-state collaboration – and pledge our support as state legislators and allies in pursuit of guaranteed, high quality, affordable health care for all."

"Fast one"

Before protesters stormed the capitol, the mayor of the city of Madison tried to pull a fast one. The governor's budget repair bill was on the fast track, and Madison Mayor Dave Ciesliewicz was racing against the clock to pass new union contracts first.

E-mails obtained by the FOX6 Investigators show that the mayor enlisted the help of State Senator Mark Miller. They both tried to convince the Secretary of State to hold up the bill by taking the maximum 10 days allowed by law before publishing the bill.

They were trying to buy some time so they could ratify new contracts to protect workers from benefit cuts.[10]

Boycott leader

Wisconsin's "Budget Repair Bill" that would eliminate collective bargaining rights for almost all state worker unions stalled in the legislature due to a boycott by state Democratic Senators. On Thursday, February 17, 2011, the 14 Democrats fled to undisclosed locations presumably out of state. Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said this boycott was the only option they had to keep the bill from being jammed through the Senate.[11]

Endorsements

The following organizations and individuals endorse Mark Miller in 2004, during his first run for State Senate:[12]

Over 90 current and former public officials endorse Mark Miller For State Senate.

Assembly

Dane County

Columbia County

Cottage Grove

DeForest

Maureen McCarville, Former Deforest Village Trustee

Lodi

Madison

McFarland

Monona

Oregon

Stoughton

Other Local Officials

References

Template:Reflist

  1. ↑ Mark Miller, official Sate Senate bio
  2. ↑ Mark Miller, official Sate Senate bio
  3. ↑ Mark Miller, official Sate Senate bio
  4. ↑ Mark Miller, official Sate Senate bio
  5. ↑ Fwd: Invitation to RadFest 2003: Midwest Social Forum Posted By: blutenegger, Tue Apr 1, 2003
  6. ↑ Dem. Left,Winter 2004/2005
  7. ↑ Health Coalition for Wisconsin Health Vol. 7, Summer 2005, page 2
  8. ↑ Defend Wisconsin news round up , Stoughton Emergency Town Meeting
  9. ↑ Progressive States Network: State Legislators for Progressive Health Care Reform (accessed on Dec. 23, 2010)
  10. ↑ Fox Nation, Plot Uncovered! Dems Fled Wisconsin to Buy Time to Pass New Union Contracts, March 03, 2011
  11. ↑ [http://fsrn.org/audio/audio-tag-title-raw/8049 Free Speech Radio News, Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller discusses Democrats' boycott of the anti-union "Budget Repair Bill" Fri, 02/18/2011 - 13:07]
  12. ↑ Miller for State Senate endorsements page
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