Ohio drivers could save 38.5 cents on every gallon of gas if state lawmakers approve a 90-day tax suspension during a special session Wednesday, Sept. 30.

The vote comes as regular gasoline in Ohio averaged $4.34 a gallon Monday, Sept. 28, according to AAA. Diesel averaged $6.75.

Montgomery, Blue Ash and Sycamore Township stand to feel the effects on both sides. Drivers would pay less at the pump, but about 38% of Ohio's gas tax revenue goes to local government road and bridge projects, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Service Commission as reported by Cleveland.com. How much local communities would lose is not specified in the proposal.

As we reported Friday, Sept. 25, both candidates for governor pushed for the suspension. Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for governor, proposed the plan with backing from House Speaker Matt Huffman and Senate President Rob McColley, his running mate. Amy Acton, a Democrat running for governor, called for a gas tax holiday the same week.

The bill would suspend Ohio's 38.5-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax and 47-cent-per-gallon diesel tax for 90 days. If it passes, the suspension would take effect in October, WLWT reported.

But Gov. Mike DeWine is not on board.

"I think it's a very, very bad idea," DeWine told News 5 Cleveland on Friday, Sept. 25. He warned the next governor would "face a real crisis if that $750 million is taken away."

Ohio's motor fuel tax brings in more than $8 million a day. The state collected nearly $2.6 billion in fuel taxes in fiscal year 2025. A little more than half funded Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) highway projects.

DeWine said the suspension would hurt townships, villages, cities and counties that depend on that money. The Ohio Department of Budget Management stated that ODOT's cash balance is already set aside for future projects, according to News 5 Cleveland.

To fill the gap, Ramaswamy's plan would tap ODOT's ending cash balance first, then the state's general revenue fund, then Ohio's $3.7 billion rainy-day fund if needed. Cleveland.com estimated the 90-day suspension would reduce revenue by roughly $640 million.

McColley said Tuesday, Sept. 22, that he was confident lawmakers could pass the plan, speaking at the Ohio Farm Science Review as reported by the Statehouse News Bureau.

Not everyone sees the push as pure policy. Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio, a Lakewood Democrat, called it a political move, saying Ramaswamy's campaign "got some bad polling data and panicked," according to News 5 Cleveland.

Neighboring Indiana offers a cautionary example. Gov. Mike Braun has extended that state's gas tax suspension five times since April. Indiana drivers have saved nearly 60 cents per gallon, but the Build Indiana Council said the shortfall has topped $530 million in lost infrastructure funding, WLWT reported.

Whether DeWine would sign or veto the bill remains unclear. He said Tuesday, Sept. 22, that he would "analyze" the legislation and had asked ODOT for data, according to the Statehouse News Bureau.