Politics
Massachusetts House strips two-month gas-tax holiday from spending package
House leaders removed Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to pause the state’s 24-cent-per-gallon gas tax from a spending bill set for a vote Wednesday. The decision leaves the plan stalled two weeks before Election Day, as Healey seeks a second term against Republican Michael Minogue.
Massachusetts House leaders have dropped Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed two-month suspension of the state gas tax from a nearly $2.4 billion spending bill scheduled for a vote Wednesday, ending the plan’s immediate path forward in the Legislature.
The tax is 24 cents per gallon. Healey proposed the temporary pause last month as a way to offer drivers relief at the pump. The House’s decision comes about two weeks before Election Day, while the governor campaigns for a second term against Republican Michael Minogue, a former health care executive.
Minogue has also called for suspending the gas tax, with a proposal described as broader than Healey’s. The competing campaign pledges have put the cost of gasoline in the election debate, but the House action means Healey’s proposal will not be part of the spending package lawmakers plan to take up Wednesday.
No details were provided on whether House leaders would consider a separate gas-tax measure or whether another proposal could advance before the election.