Senator Jill Carter of Granby won preliminary approval in the Missouri Senate for Senate Bill 59, legislation that would authorize an income tax deduction for certain survivor benefits paid to families of veterans.

The measure would allow survivors who receive specified veteran survivor benefits to exclude those payments from Missouri state income tax. "Gives our veterans who have survivor benefits the ability to have that be given to their survivors without any tax deductions," Senator Jill Carter said on the floor.

Missouri Senate Minority Floor Leader Doug Beck of Afton cautioned against narrowly targeted tax breaks, saying such proposals "pick out winners and losers." The discussion on the Senate floor included his concern that tax exemptions limited to particular groups can create inequities in the tax code.

Senate Bill 59 received preliminary approval in the Senate; an additional affirmative vote in the Missouri House of Representatives would be required for the proposal to proceed toward enactment. The transcript does not record roll-call vote tallies or amendments; those details were not specified during the floor remarks.

If approved by the House and enacted, the bill would change how selected veteran survivor benefits are treated for state income tax purposes. The transcript does not specify which benefits would qualify, the estimated fiscal impact, or whether the bill includes an effective date.

The measure will next be considered by the Missouri House of Representatives.