Both candidates for governor said they are glad Ohioans may soon be getting some relief at the pump now that the Republican-dominated legislature has sent to Gov. Mike DeWine a bill suspending the state's tax on gasoline and diesel. The legislation, passed just before early voting begins on Oct. 6, suspends the state's 38.5-cent tax on gas and 47-cent tax on diesel for 90 days. It relies on about $726 million from general revenue funds to cover the lost revenue.
But there were questions because lawmakers returned to pass only this one bill. Some also wanted action on data centers, including the candidate who had first suggested the gas tax holiday.
Specifics of the gas tax suspension were put into House Bill 519, which got votes from both Republicans and Democrats in the Ohio House and Senate. In a written statement released after the passage of the bill, Democratic candidate for governor Amy Acton said she was glad to see lawmakers took her suggestion seriously. She had called for a gas tax holiday early last week. Not long after she did, her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy announced he had made plans with GOP legislative leaders, including his running mate Senate President Rob McColley (R-Napoelon), to suspend the gas tax right away.
Just minutes after the bill was voted out Wednesday, Ramaswamy held a press conference praising its passage.
“A week ago, we had a clear plan. Today that vision has been translated to reality,” Ramaswamy said. He added the quick action demonstrated that “our actions speak louder than our words.”
“Families need relief. And we had an opportunity this week to help those families, even if it's just a little bit. A little bit means a lot when families are stretching themselves. And it was something we're able to achieve," Ramaswamy said. "If we were under Democrat leadership, Ohio would have never had the fiscal strength to get this done. But given that we have the fiscal ability to do it, we have a duty to see it through.”
But Acton expressed disappointment that lawmakers didn’t take up a second suggestion she made last week—to pass her conditional moratorium on data centers. That plan includes requiring data centers to pay for their own energy and to be constructed only with union labor. In her statement, Acton said Ramaswamy had millions of dollars invested in data centers.
”Ohioans know they can’t trust Ramaswamy to take their concerns seriously or make life more affordable,” Acton said in the statement.
Ramaswamy has also proposed a moratorium on data centers, which he announced after Acton put hers forward. He's proposed requiring data centers to pay for their own energy as well as the cost of electricity for nearby residents. Speaker Matt Huffman (R-Lima) said at the press conference last week that Acton's suggestion was "not a serious proposal".
HB 519 passed with an emergency clause. That means the gas tax suspension can take effect immediately after DeWine signs it into law, which Huffman told reporters that will happen tomorrow.
