Va. Senate committee votes down Youngkin’s gas-tax holiday plan

Democrats in the Virginia Senate voted Wednesday to reject Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposal for a gas tax holiday, a sign the governor hasn’t succeeded in getting skeptics on board with the plan he rolled out six weeks ago.

The Senate Finance Committee’s 12-3 vote to block the bill won’t be the final say on the matter. A version of the bill remains alive in the Republican House of Delegates, and the two parties could also put some form of gas-price relief in the overdue state budget that’s still being negotiated.

But it’s becoming clear the plan isn’t going to happen under the timeline suggested by Youngkin, who wants to fully suspend the gas tax from May 1 through July 31 before phasing it back in August and September.

Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, the committee chairwoman, opened Wednesday’s meeting with a speech dismissing the proposal as ill-advised, saying it would lead to “additional funding challenges for the commonwealth’s transportation programs.”

Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg, the bill’s sponsor in the Senate, drew laughs in the room as he stepped up to the podium and acknowledged the futility of pitching the idea to lawmakers whose opposition was already clear.

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