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JEFFERSON CITY 鈥� A Missouri lawmaker who plays a key role in writing the state budget is being sued for not paying bills related to his family鈥檚 farming operation.

Rep. Scott Cupps, R-Shell Knob, faces two lawsuits from businesses that say he and his brother, Matthew, owe more than $113,000 for not repaying lines of credit they received in 2019.

Cupps, who serves as chairman of a House subcommittee on appropriations, also is in the midst of divorce proceedings. He said Tuesday he鈥檚 not been involved in the farm business since beginning his $37,700-per-year job as a member of the Missouri House.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know all the details. I don鈥檛 want to know all the details,鈥� said Cupps, whose name has been floated as a potential appointee to run the Missouri Department of Agriculture. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 have anything to do with it.鈥�

State business records filed with the Secretary of State鈥檚 office in June 2022 show the brothers each having a 50% stake in Cupps Farms, located in Barry County.

In February, John Deere Financial filed a lawsuit in Barry County attempting to recoup $56,119 from Cupps Farms for a line of credit approved in 2019 to buy farming equipment.

鈥淧laintiff has made demand upon defendants for payment but defendants, without justification or excuse, have failed and refused to pay,鈥� the Deere lawsuit says.

In March, MFA Inc., which provides loans and lines of credit to Missouri farmers, filed a suit in Boone County alleging the farm owed more than $57,000 from a line of credit it granted in 2019.

鈥�(A)lthough often requested to do so, defendants have failed and refused and still fail and refuse to pay the account in full,鈥� the MFA petition said.

鈥淚 really can鈥檛 say much because I really don鈥檛 have anything to do with them. It鈥檚 all my brother and another one of his partners,鈥� Cupps told the Post-Dispatch. 鈥淚 hope they can get to the bottom of it soon.鈥�

Cupps entered the House after a 2019 special election to replace then-Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, who was appointed treasurer at the time by Gov. Mike Parson. Fitzpatrick is now the state auditor.

Cupps is chairman of a House subcommittee that oversees spending by the state鈥檚 elected officials. He also is vice chairman of the House Special Committee on Urban Issues.

In a 2015 interview on a farm-related show, the two brothers said they grow grass and row crops and raise cows on their multi-generational farm in the southwest corner of the state.

鈥淲e raise cattle that are functional and productive,鈥� Scott Cupps said.

鈥淥ur plan is to farm until we fail and then we鈥檙e going to go get jobs,鈥� Matt Cupps said, adding that their farming operation, at the time, was spread across multiple counties and multiple states.

Cupps is facing a reelection challenge in November from Democrat Yma Sautbine of Eagle Rock. Missouri Ethics Commission records show Sautbine had $490 in her campaign account as of April 1.

Cupps filed a report in January showing he had $12,012 in his campaign account. He reported not raising or spending enough money to file a more comprehensive report in April.

Federal records show Cupps Farms received a $20,835 Paycheck Protection Program loan in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The loan was forgiven.

As chairman of the House budget subcommittee, Cupps made headlines in February when he successfully pressured state Treasurer Vivek Malek to drop a partnership with a company that has flooded gas stations across the state with unregulated and untaxed slot machines.

Cupps said the 鈥渃ringeworthy鈥� arrangement had made a mockery of the state treasurer鈥檚 office.

He also raised concerns about House Speaker Dean Plocher鈥檚 advocacy for an out-of-state election vendor in February while the speaker was under an ethics investigation, suggesting Plocher was acting more like a lobbyist than a legislator.

In 2023, Cupps鈥� wife, Kim, filed for divorce. Court records show the lawmaker provided updated income and expenses in a May 2024 filing. Those documents were not available on the state鈥檚 court website.

The case has been transferred from Barry County to Taney County.

The divorce proceedings come four years after Cupps raised eyebrows on the House floor as 鈥渕y smokin鈥� hot wife.鈥�