Peoria legislator files bill to temporarily suspend state’s gas tax

Former Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat from Chicago, is pictured at a state Capitol news conference Tuesday with Rep. Ryan Spain, R-Peoria, to promote ethics reforms. The pair spoke in favor of a constitutional amendment that would allow citizens to propose ethics-related constitutional amendments on the ballot through petitions. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Peter Hancock)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Peoria-area legislators are putting forth a bill that could bring relief at the gas pump later this year.

State Representatives Ryan Spain (R-Peoria) and Regan Deering (R-Decatur) spoke on Wednesday about affordability issues that they are pinning on Democrats.

Spain says the state has to acknowledge high costs put on families, and there are measures that families use to determine those costs. He says that ranges from electric bills to grocery bills, but notes the most common method is gas prices.

“With the price of gas now in Illinois solidly above the $4/gallon mark, we know that something needs to be done to provide relief for working families across the state of Illinois,” Spain said.

Gas prices have sharply risen since the United States conducted strikes on Iran in late-February, and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Spain filed HB 5738 this week as one solution to lower costs for families. The bill would suspend the gas tax from July 1st to December 31st. Illinois’ gas tax sits at 48.3 cents after it was increased in July of last year.

Spain says passage of the bill would provide an immediate decrease of 20 cents per gallon at the pump.

Spain says there is prior precedent for suspending the gas tax. He says Governors J.B. Pritzker and George Ryan have previously suspended the tax.