After 40 years in office, Rep. George Miller (D-California) will retire at the end of the year.

As a former chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee, Miller had extensive dealings in Indian issues. He stopped the taxation of tribal members who serve in the military, pushed for the reauthorization the Indian Health Care Improvement Act, visited tribal schools and rebuffed attacks on the Indian gaming industry.

Miller's actions weren't without controversy, however. In 2000, he helped the landless Lytton Band of Pomo Indians acquire an off-reservation gaming site, a move that continues to stir debate.

He also fought a measure that would have shielded tribes from the National Labor Relations Board. The bill never became law amid fierce debate in the House.

“I have not won every fight that I have waged," Miller said in a statement. "And there remain, of course, many critical challenges waiting to be addressed. But I have no regrets about what I have accomplished and what I have tried to accomplish in the public interest.

Get the Story:
Rep. George Miller, leading Democratic voice on education, set to retire (The Washington Post 1/14)
California Democrat to Retire From House (The New York Times 1/14)