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That gas tax holiday is here

Gov. Larry Hogan (center), Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones sign the gas tax holiday into law as legislative leaders look on.
Joel McCord/WYPR
Gov. Larry Hogan (center), Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones sign the gas tax holiday into law as legislative leaders look on.

Gov. Larry Hogan signed the gas tax holiday bills into law Friday, shaving 36 cents per gallon off the cost of a fill-up for the next month.

The bills sailed through the General Assembly in a week, seemingly record time, to land on Hogan’s desk.

In a signing ceremony with House Speaker Adrienne Jones and Senate President Bill Ferguson, Hogan praised the bipartisan effort, saying it would provide “some relief from the pain at the pump” as gas prices continue to rise.

At the same time, however, he cautioned the holiday would not be “a cure-all.”

“Market instability will continue to lead to fluctuations in prices,” he warned. “But we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to provide immediate relief for Marylanders.”

According to Maryland AAA, the average price of gas Friday was $4.16 a gallon, down slightly from earlier in the week.

State Comptroller Peter Franchot, who pitched the idea of a 3-month holiday last week when he announced a $7.5 billion state budget surplus, called 30 days “a good start.”

He echoed Hogan’s warning about global oil markets, “which influence gas prices internationally,” but said Marylanders “can rest assured that for the next 30 days, whatever the price they see at the pump will be 36 cents cheaper per gallon, and that they are saving money during this holiday.”

The holiday began when Hogan, along with Jones and Ferguson, signed the bills. It ends at midnight April 16.

Joel McCord is a trumpet player who learned early in life that that’s no way to make a living.
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