RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina lawmakers are scheduled to return to Raleigh on Wednesday, Oct. 7, for a special session to consider cutting or suspending state taxes on gasoline and diesel amid a sharp rise in fuel prices. The session is set to begin at noon. A proclamation issued by House Speaker Destin Hall says lawmakers may consider legislation to provide state tax relief on both fuels. Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger, both Republicans, announced the special session on Oct. 3, saying it was intended to provide immediate help at the pump. The state’s gas tax is 41 cents per gallon, in addition to the federal tax of 18.4 cents. North Carolina’s average price for regular gasoline was about $4.03 per gallon, compared with $2.82 a year earlier, according to AAA figures cited in the report. A suspension could bring the price to roughly $3.62, though lawmakers had not clarified how any change would be implemented or how much of the tax cut would reach drivers. The move comes as fuel prices rise nationally. The U.S. average was $4.46 last week, up more than 30% from a year earlier, according to the Energy Information Administration. Diesel prices in North Carolina had climbed above $6 per gallon in late September, nearly twice their earlier level. The price increases are occurring amid a military conflict in Iran. Democratic Senate leader Sydney Batch criticized Republicans for calling the session so close to the Nov. 3 election, arguing that lawmakers could have acted earlier. She said families had faced higher prices for months and pointed to delays in passing a state budget as evidence of Republican leadership’s priorities. Other states have recently adopted temporary tax breaks: Ohio approved a 90-day gas-tax holiday, while Georgia implemented a 30-day suspension. Separately, Gov. Josh Stein waived penalties through December for using untaxed, red-dyed diesel, a measure intended to help farmers facing high fuel costs alongside tariffs, drought and crop losses. Any tax holiday would offer potential short-term relief to drivers and businesses that depend on fuel, while leaving lawmakers to decide its duration and how to address revenue used for state needs. The proclamation establishes the session’s subject, but does not specify a final proposal or its cost.