Jefferson City — State Sen. Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, was awarded the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Legislator of the Year award, in part, for sponsoring and guiding the passage of last year’s Senate Bill 641, which exempts disaster payments received by farmers and ranchers during natural disasters from state income tax.
“It is an honor to have been named the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Legislator of the year,” Sen. Schatz said. “Senate Bill 641 is simply about fairness for our farmers and ranchers. While recovering from a disaster, our family farmers shouldn’t be faced with a tax penalty on disaster payments that do not even constitute a profit and typically represent a small fraction of lost income. I just don’t believe droughts and other disasters should be taxable events for state government.”
Missouri Cattlemen’s Association President Keith Stevens offered praise for Senator Schatz’ efforts on behalf of cattlemen: “Senator Schatz went to bat for Missouri agriculture. He fought for us through two legislative sessions, one gubernatorial veto, and remained steadfast to override that veto last year. Senator Schatz is a fighter and we’re glad to have him in our corner.”
District 26 resident, cattleman, and Missouri Cattlemen’s Association Treasurer Matt Hardecke also thanked Sen. Schatz for his efforts. “Senator Schatz never wavered on Senate Bill 641, despite strong opposition and fuzzy math from the previous governor’s office. Dave knew that this was a matter of simple fairness and stuck to his guns. I’m glad that Senator Schatz is in his first term and I look forward to working with him for years to come.”
Senate District 26 includes Franklin County and parts of suburban St. Louis County. Franklin County contains over 41,000 cattle according to the 2012 USDA Census of agriculture.
Each year the Missouri Cattlemen’s Association honors one Missouri legislator as its Legislator of the Year.