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: July 3, 2018

Posted Wednesday, July 11, 2018, at 2:42 PM

Tomorrow is Independence Day! It's a holiday that many mark with its date, and while most simply refer to it as the Fourth of July, the people of this great nation cannot and should not forget its true designation as Independence Day. This special holiday is more than just another day on the calendar. It is recognition of the battles fought, the lives given, and the peace that was forged in order to form a more perfect union. It is a celebration of all that makes America great and a reminder that the freedoms that define this nation were hard-earned, and require the continued commitment of the American people to maintain.

July 2, 1776 marks the date when a closed session of Congress first approved a resolution of independence. However, the final copy signed by John Hancock went to print on July 4th. This was distributed to the public as the Dunlap broadside and is the date most associated with independence.

Also, as promised I will continue to summarize Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed (TAFP) bills from this legislative session. All of these bills have been signed and delivered to the governor’s office. Bill review to determine signing or veto action will be one of the first duties of the new governor.

2018 Truly Agreed to and Finally Passed Bills

HB 1690 – Modifies provision of the Missouri life and health insurance guarantee act.

The bill modifies provisions relating to Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association member assessments. It removes a provision specifying that nonpro rata assessments for administrative and legal costs shall not exceed $150 per member insurer in any one calendar year, and specifies that the amount of other assessments for long-term care insurance written by the impaired or insolvent insurer shall be allocated according to a methodology included in the plan of operation and approved by the director. The methodology shall provide for 50% of the assessment to be allocated to accident and health member insurers, and 50% to life and annuity member insurers. These provisions shall not apply to any member insurer that is impaired or insolvent prior to the bill's effective date.

HB 1713 - Modifies provisions relating to the Missouri Adoptee Rights Act

This bill allows birth parents to obtain a copy of an adopted person's original birth certificate. This bill allows a birth parent, with proof of identification, or adoptee to request or update a contact preference form, which states whether the birth parent or adoptee would like to be contacted, that will accompany the birth certificate of an adopted person. Currently, only a birth parent may request the form. If an adopted person is deceased, his or her lineal descendants have the right to obtain a copy of the adoptee's birth certificate, contact form, and medical history form.

HB 1719 - Modifies provisions relating to professional registration

This bill establishes regulations and registration requirements for professional employer organizations (PEOs). The bill requires all PEOs to be registered with the Secretary of State. Registration of PEOs may be done individually or as a group. At the time of registration, and every year thereafter, the PEO or PEO group must file with the Secretary of State an audit performed by an independent certified public accountant. A PEO may be eligible for limited registration if it meets certain requirements. The Secretary of State shall maintain a list of PEOs registered in this state. PEOs shall pay an initial registration fee not to exceed $500 with an annual renewal fee not to exceed $250. However, no fee shall exceed the amount reasonably necessary for the administration of the bill.

HB 1729 - Repeals provisions relating to prevailing wages on public works

This bill amends Missouri's prevailing wage law. Prevailing wage shall not be paid for public works where the estimated cost, or accepted bids, are $75,000 or less. All public works projects estimated to cost, or with an accepted bid of $10,000 or less for all occupational titles shall be exempt from competitive bidding requirements. Wage determination schedules are
provided in the bill.

HB 1744 - Modifies the A+ Schools Program by removing the requirement that the student's attendance of public high school occur in the three years immediately prior to graduation

The bill modifies the A+ Schools Program by removing the requirement that the student's attendance of a high school in the state be the three years immediately prior to graduation. This bill adds an additional mechanism by which the taxing district of a public school may attach itself to a community college district in order to increase the tax base of the community college district and secure in-district tuition rates for students of the school district. The new mechanism allows the community college to propose the plan to the school district's voters and requires the community college to pay for the election. The bill modifies the Missouri Higher Education Savings Program to allow Missouri 529 account holders to transfer money from that account to a Missouri ABLE account while retaining tax exempt status on the transferred money.

This bill also adds approved virtual institutions to the Access Missouri Financial Assistance Program, as described in the bill. The bill prohibits public colleges from requiring a student to buy a meal plan or dine on-campus if the student presents medical documentation of a food allergy or medical dietary issue to the institution. This bill contains an emergency clause.

HB 1769 - Establishes the offense of filing false documents

This bill creates the offense of filing a false document, which is committed if, with intent to defraud, deceive, harass, alarm, or negatively impact financially, a person files, causes to be filed, or attempts to file, creates, uses as genuine, transfers or has transferred, presents, or prepares with knowledge or belief that it will be filed, presented, or transferred to the Secretary of State or his or her designee, any county recorder of deeds or his or her designee, any municipal, county, district, or state government entity or office, or any credit bureau or financial institution specified documents. For the first offense, filing a false document is a class D felony. Filing false documents is a class C felony in certain specified instances. Any person who is found guilty of committing such offense will be ordered to make full restitution to any person or entity that has sustained any actual losses as a result of the commission of such offense.

Travel Missouri This Summer: Grant’s Farm
Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!

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.