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 10, 2014

Posted Thursday, July 10, 2014, at 8:43 AM

The hectic pace of this summer continues. The governor has until Monday to take action on all legislation passed to him by the General Assembly. I will recap many of these next week. However, this week I have a couple of other items to share with you.

New Committee

Late last week Speaker Tim Jones announced the formation of the House Interim Committee on Missouri Military Impact and Sustainability.

The committee will explore the military as a part of the community fabric surrounding Whiteman Air Force Base, Fort Leonard Wood, and other areas in Missouri. Also, in light of the recent revelations concerning the Veterans Health Administration, the committee intends to gather information about the treatment of Missouri veterans by the VHA to be included in the final report and shared with our congressional delegation.

I believe this committee creates a real opportunity to examine the commitment of Missouri communities to the military mission and lifestyle; the military is a part of our social fabric in this state and in District 51. I and the committee are also quite concerned with the treatment our veterans are receiving from the VHA, so we will pursue this as part of our investigation. As I've said before, Missouri is a veteran-friendly state and we wish to keep this environment intact and growing.

I will serve as Vice Chair of the committee along with Chair Charlie Davis, R-Webb City. My representative district neighbors Denny Hoskins, R-Warrensburg and Glen Kolkmeyer, R-Odessa are also included. The committee will be rounded out by Elaine Gannon, R-De Soto; Steven Lynch, R-Waynesville; Pat Conway, D-St. Joseph; Rochelle Walton Gray, D-Black Jack; and T.J. McKenna, D-Festus.

Scheduled meetings are: Jefferson City on July 14 from 9 AM to noon in Hearing Room 7 at the Capitol Building; St. Robert Hampton Inn August 18 from noon until 3 PM; and Warrensburg on September 23 from noon until 3 PM.

Postal Service

Last week I attended a meeting held by the US Postal System. The meeting was held in Sweet Springs and concerned the changes to that local post office. However, I also learned quite a bit to share that will affect all of District 51.

Cindy Bolles of USPS told the crowd filling the Old School coffee and yogurt shop that the Sweet Springs facility will move from having a full-time retail window to a part-time beginning in October. This change in designation will only result in one hour less per working day of the counter being open where customers may purchase stamps and other postal services. Access to post office boxes will remain untouched. This option has been chosen over others, such as sharing a post office, and is a trend within USPS. The Hughesville office is also moving to part-time after being a full-time facility. Some other items of interest affect all of District 51 including:

-- All post office facilities will undergo an annual review in May to determine their volume of business and status as full time or part time.

-- The workload consists of the amount of sales, such as stamps sold at a particular facility, and the volume of mail moving through the facility.

-- If Saturday delivery is discontinued, this will only apply to flat mail (such as letters, magazines, etc.).

-- Packages will always be delivered six days a week including Saturday.

I personally wish to thank everyone attending the meeting. It is heartening to see people taking interest in decisions that impact their daily lives.

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 and Missouri. 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.