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Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) issued the following statement following the California Problem Solvers Caucus announcement of a bipartisan gas tax relief proposal:
“Good ideas shouldn’t have party lines,” said Wilk. “I applaud the Problem Solvers Caucus for catapulting this Republican proposal into a bipartisan measure. While bipartisan support is welcome, it only matters if the Democrats can help us get the proposal across the finish line and bring immediate relief at the pump. Time will tell if that’s the case.”
In 2021, Senate Republicans called for a gas tax holiday, which would be accomplished by doing the following:
-Suspending the state’s excise tax on gas (51.1-cents per gallon) for one year, backfilling it with money from the General Fund; and
-Stopping the excise tax’s annual inflation escalator via SB 1156, introduced by Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield).
In addition, Senate Republicans, led by Republican Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, offered amendments formally requesting the suspension of the state gas tax and waiving an upcoming increase.
As gas prices shot up in recent months, legislative Republicans doubled down on their calls for gas price relief. Such calls included formally requesting a gas tax holiday in the state budget, introducing legislation to reduce gas tax burdens, and calling on legislative budget committee chairs to take action amidst skyrocketing gas prices earlier this year.