Massachusetts House Rejects 60-Day Gas Tax Holiday Proposal 30-122: Fall River's Three Representatives Split Their Votes
The Massachusetts House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected an amendment that would have suspended the state's 24-cent-per-gallon gas tax for 60 days, defeating it 30-122. The proposal, Amendment 160, was debated as part of the $2.35 billion FY2026 supplemental budget bill (House Bill 5699). The amendment would have required gas stations to pass the full tax savings to consumers for 60 days, with stations failing to do so committing an unfair or deceptive practice under the state's consumer protection law, and the lost transportation revenue backfilled from the education and transportation fund generated by the state's surtax on incomes over $1 million.
The proposal was offered by Republican Rep. Todd Smola and co-sponsored by all 25 Republican representatives plus one Democratic lawmaker, but in the end only five Democrats voted in favor, two of them from Fall River: Alan Sylvia and Steven Ouellette; the city's other Democratic representative, Carol Fiola, voted no.
Governor Maura Healey proposed a two-month gas tax suspension in September, arguing the fiscal surplus could cover the cost without harming transportation funding. House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz criticized the idea as a 'gimmick,' questioning whether wholesalers would pass the 24 cents through to drivers and warning the lost revenue would hit transportation projects and the MBTA. Healey expressed disappointment with the vote and said she would keep pushing. According to AAA, the statewide average gas price this week is about $4.28 per gallon. During April's budget debate, a similar gas tax suspension amendment was also rejected, 132-25. The supplemental budget has been sent to the Senate, and the two chambers must agree on a compromise version by November 15.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 马萨诸塞州议会大厦 / Massachusetts State House, Boston — Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
