Rep. Humphrey Votes No on Gas Tax Holiday, Ohioans Deserve More

COLUMBUS — State Rep. Latyna M. Humphrey (D-Columbus) today refused to support a 90-day gas tax holiday, saying Ohioans need relief at the pump, but the Republican proposal is not the best use of $725 million in state funds while families continue to struggle with the cost of health care, child care, groceries, housing, utilities and other basic expenses.

“Ohioans absolutely need relief at the gas pump. Families in my district are feeling the impact of higher gas prices every single day. But they are also struggling with rising utility bills, housing costs, groceries, child care and health care. A temporary suspension of the gas tax does not address the larger affordability crisis facing working Ohioans,” said Rep. Humphrey. “My vote today was not a vote against providing relief. It was a vote demanding that we do more.”

Ohioans absolutely need relief from high gas prices, but a temporary gas tax holiday does not address the broader affordability crisis facing Ohio families. For a family already struggling to pay for health care, child care, groceries, housing and utility bills, $750 million could provide more targeted assistance that reaches Ohioans across their household budgets. Affordability issues do not stop at the gas pump.

Also, Ohio’s affordability crisis did not begin five weeks before an election. Ohioans have been dealing with high costs for years. Gas prices reached an average of $4.83 per gallon in May, yet Republicans did not move forward with a gas tax holiday until the final weeks before the election.

Legislation to reduce the gas tax was proposed in May, at the beginning of the busy summer travel season, but majority Republicans sat on that proposal. Then suddenly, 30 days before the election, suspension of the gas tax is politically convenient because their candidate for governor’s poll numbers are bad. So, Republican legislative leaders stood with him at a press conference and threw up a hail Mary scheme hoping to save his candidacy. Ohioans aren’t buying it.

Ohio House Democrats offered an alternative plan that would have provided immediate gas tax relief while making the state's resources go further for Ohio families. That proposal would have used the $1 billion previously allocated for the Cleveland Browns stadium, and would have included a $150 residential energy rebate, stronger enforcement to make sure gas tax savings reach consumers, and expanded homestead property tax relief.

“If we are going to call lawmakers back to Columbus to address an emergency, then we should treat it like an emergency,” added Rep. Humphrey. “We have the ability to provide broader, more meaningful relief to Ohio families, including property tax relief and assistance with rising energy costs, not simply a temporary measure at the pump.”

The legislation also provides weak enforcement compared to the Democratic alternative. While it requires the gas tax savings to be passed on to consumers and requires itemized receipts when requested, it does not give individual consumers a direct mechanism to seek recourse if they feel this protection has been violated.

The question is not whether Ohioans deserve gas tax relief. They do. The question is whether $750 million in state resources should be spent on a temporary benefit that addresses only one part of the cost-of-living crisis. Gas is a volatile commodity subject to many factors that can cause its price to fluctuate widely. The state fuel tax is a small component of that. The main culprit for today’s high prices is the continuation of the failed war in the middle east. Gas prices will be back up again if that war doesn’t conclude soon, and there won’t be anything else state lawmakers can do about it.

Ohio House Democrats have introduced legislation addressing health care, child care, housing, utilities, property taxes and other costs that are squeezing Ohio families throughout the General Assembly. Democrats remain willing to work with anyone to deliver meaningful relief, but Ohioans deserve a plan that does more than provide temporary relief of one factor impacting a household budget.