Rep. Dean Dohrman, a Republican, represents Johnson, Pettis, and Saline counties (District 51). He was elected to his first two-year term in November 2012. In addition to his legislative duties, Rep. Dohrman is an online professor. Rep. Dohrman is a member of Warrensburg and Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce, and Sedalia Lions Club. He attends Wesley United Methodist Church. A graduate of LaMonte High, Rep. Dohrman earned his PhD from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2004. Born in Warrensburg, Rep. Dohrman currently lives in LaMonte.

Capitol Report March 23

Posted Friday, March 24, 2017, at 3:53 PM

Happy Spring! Spring break continues until Monday. When we return, we will focus our efforts on the budget. Our goal in the House is to have the budget out of the House and on to the Senate by April 6. The final budget has a May 5 deadline completion and submission to the governor.

Being at the midpoint of this legislative year, I believe it is appropriate to briefly recap some accomplishments achieved so far. During the first half, we have move forward with several initiatives, many focused on spurring economic growth in Missouri. These have included right to work, a focus on 21st century jobs, and tort reform. Summaries of these accomplishments and others are below.

Mid-Session Highlights

— Right-to-Work (SB 19)

Missouri will now become the nation’s 28th Right-to-Work state as Governor Eric Greitens signed SB 19 into law. The new law will take effect August 28. This bill approved will ensure employees are able to decide whether to join a labor union instead of being forced to join as a condition of employment.

— Paycheck Protection (HB 251)

House members continued reform efforts passing paycheck protection. The bill is meant to give public employee union members the right to opt-in annually to have their dues automatically deducted from their paychecks. The current system requires a public employee to opt-out, and if they fail to do so their dues are automatically deducted.

— Fairness in Public Construction (HB 126)

The House also approved legislation meant to put an end to project labor agreements (PLAs) and ensure a fair and competitive bidding process for public works projects in Missouri. This bill would effectively ban PLAs, which ensure public works contracts are almost exclusively awarded to union contractors or contractors who agree to labor union demands. The point of the bill is to make the bidding process for taxpayer-funded projects competitive and fair so that Missourians will get a better return on their tax dollars.

— Unemployment System Reforms (HB 288)

The House approved legislation this session to keep the state’s system of unemployment financially stable. The bill would link unemployment benefits to the rate of unemployment, and ensure the state keeps more money in the unemployment trust fund. Missouri is the only state that has been forced to borrow money from the federal government to pay for unemployment benefits during each of the last five economic downturns. This bill is an important step toward ensuring Missouri can afford to help its citizens during times when they are without work.

— Missouri Works (HB 93)

The Missouri House approved legislation that would provide a boost to the state’s small businesses, including many in rural areas. House members voted in favor of a bill that would expand the Missouri Works program so that more of the state’s small businesses would be eligible for workforce training benefits.

— Reducing the Regulatory Burden (HBs 480, 272, 413 & 609 and HB 230)

During the first half of the session, the House advanced part of the policy platform laid out by House Speaker Todd Richardson, who called for the legislature to remove the unnecessary government regulations that stifle innovation and job creation in the state. House members approved legislation to ensure government engages in the licensing and regulation of occupations and professions only when it is necessary to protect the welfare of the public. The House also approved a separate bill to specify that hair braiders do not have to obtain a cosmetology license in order to earn a living.

— Paving the Way for Ridesharing Companies (HB 130)

House members approved legislation that would allow rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft to expand services throughout the state. The legislation is a priority of Speaker Richardson, who hopes to create a statewide framework that will allow private enterprise to thrive in a free market. Uber has already promised as many as 10,000 jobs in the first year if the bill is passed into law.

— Venue Shopping (HB 460, HB 461, and HB 462), Collateral Source Reform (HB 95), and Expert Witness (HB 153)

House members approved legislation supporters say will help put an end to “litigation tourism” and the many lawsuits that are filed in St. Louis by out-of-state parties. The bills are meant to stop the large number of lawsuits filed in the state by people who live outside Missouri, who are alleging injuries that didn’t occur within the state’s borders against companies that are not from Missouri.

Otherwise, the House continues its attempt to improve the state’s legal climate in an effort to make the court system fair to all litigants, and to attract more job creators. As part of its tort reform package, the House approved legislation commonly referred to as collateral source reform. The bill is meant to clarify that an injured person involved in a lawsuit can recover only the actual cost incurred for medical treatment.

Finally, continuing with its tort reform efforts, the House also gave approval to legislation meant to improve the reliability of expert evidence that is presented to juries in Missouri state courts. The bill, would implement an established standard for determining when expert-witness testimony is admissible as evidence at trial. The proposed standard, which is commonly referred to as the Daubert Standard after a 1993 U.S. Supreme Court case, is used in federal courts and in more than two-thirds of the states. This bill has also passed the Senate and is on its way to the governor’s desk.

— Protecting Missouri’s Peace Officers (HB 57) and Blue Alert System (HBs 302 & 228)

The Missouri House approved legislation to deter crimes against law enforcement officials. The bill would create enhanced penalties for individuals who assault officers of the law. It would increase by one degree the penalty for voluntary or involuntary manslaughter; first- or second-degree property damage; unlawful use of a weapon; rioting; or first-degree trespassing; when those crimes are committed against a law enforcement officer.

Also, in an effort to ensure law enforcement officials quickly receive the information they need to apprehend individuals who injure or kill peace officers, the Missouri House approved legislation to create a Blue Alert System. Similar to the Amber and Silver Alert systems, the Blue Alert system would send out identifying information such as a physical description of the suspect and the suspect’s vehicle.

— Stopping Illegal Use of Herbicides (HB 662)

The General Assembly truly agreed legislation that is meant to stop the illegal use of herbicides that have caused widespread damage to crops in Southeast Missouri. The legislation would allow the Department of Agriculture to issue a fine to any individual who knowingly applies a herbicide to a crop for which the herbicide is not labeled for use. This bill is on its way to the governor’s desk.

— Charter School Changes (HB 634) and Expanding Virtual School Options (HB 138)

Heading into their annual Spring Break, House members gave approval to legislation meant to provide young people in failing schools with additional educational opportunities. The bill would allow charter schools to expand to areas where at least one school is performing poorly, increases accountability for charter schools, and provides for implementation after the foundation formula for public schools is fully funded.

The Missouri House has approved legislation meant to expand course options and access for K-12 students. The bill would change the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MOVIP) to "The Missouri Course Access Program" (MCAP) and allow any K- 12 student to enroll in MCAP courses. In order to give students in all parts of the state access to advanced coursework, the legislation would allow students to take online courses that would be paid by the school district or charter school.

Today, I attended the Northwest Community Services Award Reception at the American Legion Hall in Blackburn. Scott Kelz won Northwest Community Services Employee of the Year! (Mr. Kelz also won September Employee of the Month). Other notable winners were the Northwest Community Services Employees of the Month: Tonya Holder (Jan); Richard Drake (Feb); Janet Vesser (Mar); Lisa Caldwell (Apr); Melody Willis (May); Michelle Heimsoth (June); Eric Shireman (July); Norman Carver (August); Krystal Case (Oct); Kristi Binder (Nov); Karen Rulo (Dec).

It is an honor to serve the 51st District in the Missouri House of Representatives. Each week I will issue a capitol report to keep you informed of activities in Jefferson City. Any concerns or issues you might have are of great interest to me. I look forward to your input and thoughts, so please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions, concerns, or ideas to improve our state government and the quality of life for all Missourians. My telephone number is 573-751-2204 or you may contact me by email at dean.dohrman@house.mo.gov. Thank you for working with me to make Missouri a great place to live.