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NC General Assembly Leaders Announce Special Session to Address High Fuel Prices
The measure shifts reserve money to transportation funds and gives farmers temporary dyed-diesel flexibility as lawmakers respond to higher fuel prices.
On Wednesday, October 7, the North Carolina General Assembly convened a special session and approved the Relief at the Pump Act, suspending the state's 41-cent-per-gallon motor fuels tax through November 30.
Senate leader Phil Berger and House Speaker Destin Hall initiated the session to provide relief as economic pressure intensified on families and farmers during the harvest season, reversing Berger's May stance that suspending the tax was "more of a feel-good kind of thing."
Funding from the state's $518 million Inflation Reserve will replace the estimated $225 million in transportation revenue loss, while farmers receive relief on dyed diesel penalties through December 31.
Governor Josh Stein signed House Bill 3 on Friday, though Democratic leaders criticized the timing as a "political stunt" ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Global market factors remain the primary driver of fuel prices, and experts caution that retailers may not immediately pass the full 41-cent savings to motorists, with state officials monitoring compliance.