COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio Senate is moving forward with a proposal to suspend the state gas tax ahead of the November election, as Democrats have split feelings on whether to vote for it.
Although the discussion has been taking place for over a week, talk about Senate Bill 475 has gotten politically flammable.
"We're having committee hearings today and tomorrow, in session tomorrow to pass a gimmick, bulls—t thing about getting rid of our gas tax for 3 months," state Sen. Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) said in an interview Tuesday.
Sparks flew before and during a hearing in the Senate, as Republican Senators Jane Timken (Jackson Township) and Michele Reynolds (Canal Winchester) testified in favor of their proposal.
"All savings from the fuel tax holiday will be passed onto consumers, and any retailer that does not comply with the requirements may be subject to penalties by the Ohio Department of Taxation and the Ohio attorney general," Reynolds said.
The bill would dramatically reduce Ohio’s motor fuel tax for 90 days. That would drop what a consumer pays at the pump by nearly $0.385 per gallon for gasoline and $0.47 per gallon for diesel. The new tax would be $0.01, or one-hundredth of a cent.
"Motor fuel taxes are complex and certain retailers in border counties may have interstate agreements, so this 'just above zero' rate ensures Ohioans residing in border counties do not experience any unintended consequences," Reynolds explained.
The bill would also require gas stations to provide itemized receipts to consumers, upon request.
"It will help everyone; It'll be a welcome relief," state Rep. Roy Klopfenstein (R-Haviland) said when first hearing about it. "I may have appreciated it, people may have appreciated it a little earlier, but better late than never."
According to the bill, the leaders would dip into the state’s general revenue fund in order to make up for the $750 million that the state would lose in gas taxes. On average, the tax brings in more than $8 million a day, money used to maintain and construct roads, highways and bridges — as well as fix potholes.
A previous iteration of the proposal would have taken money from ODOT, money which didn't exist, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said.
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"We can do a lot of good in the state of Ohio to help people... thousands of dollars a year instead of maybe $7 to $12 for three months," DeMora argued.
This proposal comes at the request of Republican candidate for governor Vivek Ramaswamy, which DeMora said is a political vote-grabbing effort.
"It's a gimmick all because their governor candidate is unlikable, and because his poll numbers are in the tank," DeMora said.
While Democrat Dr. Amy Acton supports a gas tax holiday, she hasn't explicitly advocated for this bill.
Republicans like Klopfenstein say that despite this being proposed weeks before the election, this isn’t a partisan issue.
"This is a benefit to everybody," Klopfenstein said. "Politics shouldn't be a part of it."
Republicans want to pass this with an emergency clause, meaning it takes effect immediately after being signed, instead of 90 days later. They would need at least two Democrats in the House to side with them.
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"Democrats are in office to try and help people of Ohio move forward, especially the people who need the most support," Isaacsohn said during an interview Tuesday. "We will work with anyone to get that done."
Isaacsohn is facing pressure from DeMora, but said that the Democrats are going to try to leverage this situation to get some of their priorities, like affordability measures to bring down utility costs and property taxes.
"So what happens when they don't do either of those? You're still gonna give them the votes?" I asked Isaacsohn.
"That we'll have to find out tomorrow," he replied.
Each chamber is set to discuss the bill more on Wednesday, but it's likely headed to a vote.
Follow Statehouse and Columbus bureau reporter Morgan Trau on X, Instagram and Facebook. Email her at Morgan.Trau@wews.com.
