Since her election in 2002, U.S. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) has represented her state’s Blue Water Area. After seven terms in the House of Representatives, Miller has said she will not seek re-election in 2016.
Comprised of Huron, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Macomb and Tuscola counties, the 10th District that Miller represents is colloquially called “the Thumb” due to its place in Michigan’s distinctive mitten shape. The Thumb is, Miller believes, one of the most beautiful places in the state.
One of Miller’s major focuses in Congress has been preserving that natural beauty.
“Those of us that grew up on the Great Lakes know that spending time on the water isn’t just a source of recreation; it’s a part of our DNA,” Miller said.
She sponsored the Great Lakes Navigational Sustainability Act in 2013, which would require the entire Great Lakes system to be seen as one interdependent waterway for the purposes of funding; no longer would Lake Michigan need to compete with Lake Huron for needed harbor infrastructure projects.
“I believe the most critical threat to our Great Lakes, today, is Asian Carp, a destructive invasive species that has migrated up the Mississippi River, decimating every ecosystem in its path,” Miller said. To that end, she has worked with Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) to develop short- and long-term plans to protect the lakes’ ecosystem.
Protection of the Great Lakes isn’t purely ecological for Miller, as homeland security has been a central theme of her tenure as well. Miller has been closely involved in issues ranging from tightening the weaknesses in the Visa Waiver Program to passage of the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act. Miller serves as vice chairwoman of the Committee on Homeland Security.
“We have a duty to meet this ever-evolving threat,” Miller said on the subject of cyberterrorism.
Miller also serves as the chairwoman of the Committee on House Administration and is currently the only female chair of a committee in the U.S. House. She also has served on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee since 2007.
With all her priorities, Miller laments something she imagines most members of Congress have to deal with: too little time.
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve encountered is that there is just not enough time in the day to do everything I wish I could,” Miller said.
One issue the congresswoman continues to fight for is the Blue Water Bridge Plaza, an expansion of the customs center on one of Michigan’s two international bridges that spans the St. Clair River in Miller’s district.
As for what she’ll do next, Miller hasn’t decided.
“None of us knows what the future will bring,” Miller said. “I hope that God grants me grace to continue to give back to Michigan, a magnificent place I am so proud to call home.”