Rachel Bringer


Rachel L. Bringer Shepherd was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. She had served since her election in 2002.

Early life

Bringer was born September 19, 1971, and was raised on a farm in Marion County in the town of Palmyra, in northeast Missouri. A 1989 graduate of Palmyra High School, Rep. Bringer graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of arts with honors in English from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri in 1992. She received her juris doctor from the University of [Missouri School of Law]in 1995, where she served as a member of the Missouri Law Review. She was married to Bobby Ray Shepherd of Hannibal in a small church wedding on July 21, 2012, at South Union Baptist Church in Maywood.

Legislative duties

Rep. Bringer was a representative in the Missouri House of Representatives. She represented the 6th district consisting of Ralls and parts of Marion counties. She had the following committee assignments:
  • Rural Community Development
  • Budget
  • Judiciary
  • Special Standing Committee on Emerging Issues in Animal Agriculture
  • Joint Committee on Legislative Research
  • Joint Committee on Education
  • Joint Legislative Committee on Court Automation
Rep. Bringer has introduced a number of bills during the 95th General Assembly. The following are the bills she has sponsored:
;HB1323: Requires the certificate of title for a new outboard motor to contain both the year the motor was manufactured and the year the dealer received the motor from the manufacturer
;HB1324: Prohibits members of the General Assembly from accepting any tangible or intangible item, service, or anything of value from a lobbyist
;HB1325: Expands the No-call List to include all calls regardless of content and prohibits using automatic dialing announcing devices in certain situations
;HB1326: Changes the laws regarding campaign contributions to candidates and committees
;HB1894: Requires the Director of the Department of Mental Health, or his or her designee, to certify overdue patient accounts submitted to a court for collection
;HB1895: Changes the definition of "security" as it relates to the regulation of securities so that the sale of variable annuities will be regulated by the Commission of Securities within the Secretary of State's Office
;HB1896: Changes the process for registering securities in Missouri under the Missouri Securities Act
;HB2037: Creates the crime of obstruction of justice
;HJR91: Proposes a constitutional amendment changing the laws regarding campaign contributions to candidates and committees
95th General Assembly Legislation Sponsored

Professional life

Rep. Bringer is an attorney practicing in her hometown of Palmyra. She previously served as the assistant prosecutor in Marion County from 2000–2002 and was a law clerk for Judge Reinhard with the Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District from 1995-1997. Bringer, 39, was appointed presiding judge in the 10th Judicial Circuit in December, filling the position left vacant when Judge Robert Clayton II reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. At the time, Bringer was completing her eighth year in the Missouri House, representing the 6th District. Bringer had been practicing law for years and operated her own law office since 2000. She was an assistant prosecuting attorney in Marion County before her election to the Missouri House in 2002. Rachel Bringer Shepherd is a judge on the 10th Judicial Circuit Court in Missouri. She was appointed to the court in December 2010 by Governor Jay Nixon

Community involvement

Rep. Bringer is a member of the South Union Baptist Church in Maywood, Rep. Bringer has taught Sunday school and is a pianist. She is also a former member of the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee of Hannibal-LaGrange College and the Boards of Directors of the American Red Cross, Palmyra Kiwanis, and the Palmyra Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as a member of the Mark Twain Home Foundation Board. Additionally, she is also involved in the organization of Hannibal Democrat Days in the Accounting department.

Honors

Rep. Bringer has been honored for her work in the legislature by the Missouri Judicial Conference, the NAACP—Hannibal branch, the Missouri Bar, the Missouri Farm Bureau, and the Missouri Association of School Administrators.

Electoral history

2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 Election Results