by Markus Schmidt at Cardinal News
Just hours before the General Assembly reconvened its regular session Wednesday to act on the nearly 150 pieces of legislation that Gov. Glenn Youngkin either amended or vetoed, a Senate panel by a 12-3 vote killed a proposal that would have suspended Virginia’s gas tax for three months, dealing a major blow to a significant component in Youngkin’s plan to provide short term tax relief to Virginians struggling with climbing fuel prices.
The Senate Finance Committee, which Democrats control with a 11-5 majority, weighed the measure introduced during special session earlier this month by Sen. Steve Newman, R-Bedford County. The proposal sought to suspend the state’s 26.2% per gallon tax beginning May 1 restoring it incrementally in August while capping future increases for inflation.
Only one Republican – Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta County, joined the 11 Democrats in rejecting the bill that passed the House Appropriations Committee last week by a 12-10 party line vote.
Speaking to his measure, Newman told the committee that it would have provided help to all working Virginians. “This is an item that is sometimes difficult for a committee like us to grasp, because when I look around I imagine that everyone up here would probably be OK if the bill passed or didn’t pass. But that’s not true of every working Virginian,” he said.
Newman pointed out that as of Wednesday, the average gas price in Virginia edged $4 a gallon, with Diesel at $4.89 a gallon – an increase of almost 100% since January of last year. “Considering inflation, if this bill was to pass, the average family would save approximately $100. Are there other ways to do that? Certainly, but that’s what this proposal does,” he said.
Among several Virginians to speak in favor of Newman’s measure was Loretta Green, a self-proclaimed “carpool mom” from Alexandria. “We are feeling the sting of inflation, it is now double to fill up the tank,” Green told the panel. “Virginia families and small businesses need relief. We have a surplus and we need to use this surplus to help Virginia families.
And Susan Hannah, a disabled veteran living on a fixed income…
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