Mason-area drivers paying $4.48 a gallon for gas could get a 90-day break from the state's fuel tax if Republican lawmakers pass a bill Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The Ohio House is scheduled to vote that day on a bill suspending the state's 38.5-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax and 47-cent-per-gallon diesel tax for 90 days. House Speaker Matt Huffman, R-Lima, said at a Sept. 23 press conference he will force a floor vote regardless of whether he has secured enough support.

The plan, championed by Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, would save Ohio drivers roughly $678 million, according to Signal Cincinnati. It would also pull between $640 million and $700 million from road maintenance funds, according to Huffman. Ramaswamy said the lost revenue would be replaced using the Ohio Department of Transportation's ending cash balance, with the state's rainy day fund, which holds more than $4 billion, as a backup.

Ken Gougis, a Warren County delivery driver since 2020, told the Dayton Daily News he spends nearly $600 a week on diesel to keep his 12-wheel truck running beer to area bars and restaurants. His company currently covers the fuel cost, but Gougis said higher delivery prices are coming.

"They're high. They're too high," Gougis said of diesel prices.

Ohio's average diesel price hit $6.81 a gallon on Sept. 22, according to AAA, up $3.12 from a year earlier. Midwest diesel broke $6 a gallon for the first time on Sept. 11, surpassing the previous record of $5.95 set in June 2022. Regular unleaded averaged $4.48 statewide on Sept. 22, up $1.45 from a year ago.

Democrats tie support to Browns stadium funds

Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers but lack the two-thirds vote needed for the bill to take effect immediately. That means they need at least some Democratic support.

House Minority Leader Dani Isaacsohn said Democrats would back a gas relief measure only if the $600 million already set aside for the Cleveland Browns' new stadium is diverted to fund it.

Huffman dismissed that condition.

As first reported by Signal Cincinnati, Isaacsohn called the Republican push "a political ploy from someone who's desperate." A similar gas tax suspension bill failed to advance in March. Lawmakers went home in June expecting not to return until after the Nov. 3 general election. Early voting begins Tuesday, Oct. 6.

Governor's signature not guaranteed

Gov. Mike DeWine, who pushed for a gas tax increase in 2019, could sign or veto the legislation. Ramaswamy said conversations with the governor have been positive, but DeWine has not publicly committed to signing. Huffman said he hopes DeWine signs as early as October.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton called for an emergency gas tax holiday on Sept. 21, before Ramaswamy announced his plan. Acton has not specified how she would replace the lost road revenue.

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce hosted the Sept. 23 press conference where Republicans detailed the plan. Chamber CEO Steve Stivers had criticized a federal gas tax suspension proposal in a July opinion column. Rick Carfagna, a chamber spokesperson, said on Sept. 23 that Ramaswamy's plan to backfill lost revenue addresses the organization's concerns, Signal Cincinnati reported.