{"id":2991,"date":"2022-03-30T01:32:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T01:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/linksus.net\/lawmakers-address-high-gas-prices-news-sports-jobs-evening-observer\/"},"modified":"2022-03-30T01:32:10","modified_gmt":"2022-03-30T01:32:10","slug":"lawmakers-address-high-gas-prices-news-sports-jobs-evening-observer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/2022\/03\/30\/lawmakers-address-high-gas-prices-news-sports-jobs-evening-observer\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers address high gas prices | News, Sports, Jobs &#8211; Evening Observer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mar 29, 2022<br \/>A pair of Capital Region lawmakers on Sunday announced plans to introduce legislation that would cap the state&#8217;s gas tax when the price of fuel hits $2.25 a gallon and suspend the tax altogether when prices reach $3 per gallon.<br \/>Sens. Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, and Daphne Jordan, R-Halfmoon, said their legislation, which has not yet been drafted, would provide relief to motorists that have been impacted in recent weeks by record-high fuel costs and direct money for projects funded through the gas tax such as road and bridge repairs when fuel prices drop.<br \/>The bill would phase-in the suspension of the state&#8217;s gas tax when fuel prices reach $2.25 per gallon and fully suspend the tax when prices hit $3 per gallon. When prices dip below $3 per gallon, the tax would be reinstated and any funds collected would be directed to infrastructure repair projects, according to a news release. <br \/>If approved, the legislation would save motorists 33 cents per gallon when the tax is fully suspended, according to the release.<br \/>Tedisco said the plan is a <span class=\"quotations\">&#8220;win-win for taxpayers, small business New York state&#8217;s coffers.&#8221;<\/span><br \/><span class=\"quotations\">&#8220;Our cap and suspend plan will give inflation relief while prices begin to rise and continue until inflation abates and prices go back down to a more reasonable range,&#8221;<\/span> he said in a statement.<br \/>The legislation comes amid soaring gas prices brought on in part of Russia&#8217;s invasion of Ukraine last month. The average gallon of regular gas in New York is currently $4.34, which is 10 cents higher than the national average and a 49% increase compared to a year ago, when the average price for fuel in the state was $2.91 per gallon in the state, according to AAA. <br \/>State lawmakers have been discussing a number of options to provide motorists relief at the pump, including an either full or partial suspension of the gas tax or some type of rebate program.<br \/>Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters in Albany last week that a potential reduction in the gas tax was on the table as lawmakers continue to negotiate a new budget ahead of the state&#8217;s new fiscal year, which begins Thursday.  <br \/>New York isn&#8217;t the only state weighing plans aimed at addressing high fuel costs. <br \/>In California, Gov. Gavin Newsome, a Democrat, unveiled a proposal last week to provide residents a $400 rebate per vehicle as a way to combat soaring gas prices, which have are averaging $5.91 per gallon, according to AAA. <br \/>Connecticut, Maryland and Georgia have temporarily suspended their gas tax, and similar plans are being discussed in West Virginia and Florida, according to a recent CBS News report.  <br \/>Tedisco and Jordan said they plan to push their legislation to be included as part of the state&#8217;s budget due April 1.<br \/><span class=\"quotations\">&#8220;This new legislation is thoughtful, comprehensive, and a smart solution to our gas price crisis,&#8221;<\/span> Jordan said in a statement. <span class=\"quotations\">&#8220;Our bill should be part of the final 2022-23 State Budget so New Yorkers can finally see that some real help is on the way.&#8221;<\/span><br \/>Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: 518-410-5117 or carnold@dailygazette.net. Follow him on Twitter: @ChadGArnold.  <br \/>Today&#8217;s breaking news and more in your inbox<br \/>Chautauqua County has decided to use some of its American Rescue Plan Act funds to help cities, towns and villages &#8230;<br \/>The first regular 2022 meeting of the Benjamin Prescott Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the &#8230;<br \/>Too many contracts have gone without review by the state Comptroller\u2019s Office during the pandemic for Sen. Elijah &#8230;<br \/>Dunkirk officials don\u2019t want to flush money away or pull the handle on a new precedent.   The city\u2019s Common &#8230;<br \/>Today&#8217;s breaking news and more in your inbox<\/p>\n<p>Copyright \u00a9 Observer Today | https:\/\/www.observertoday.com | PO Box 391, Dunkirk, NY 14048 | 716-366-3000 | <a style=\"font-family:'Roboto Slab'; color:#999\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ogdennews.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ogden Newspapers<\/a> | <a style=\"font-family:'Roboto Slab'; color:#999\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nuttingcompany.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Nutting Company<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.observertoday.com\/news\/local-region\/2022\/03\/lawmakers-address-high-gas-prices\/\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mar 29, 2022A pair of Capital Region lawmakers on Sunday announced plans to introduce legislation that would cap the state&#8217;s gas tax when the price of fuel hits $2.25 a gallon and suspend the tax altogether when prices reach $3 per gallon.Sens. Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, and Daphne Jordan, R-Halfmoon, said their legislation, which has not [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":869,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/869"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2991\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/linksus2.linksus.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}