(The Center Square) – Gasoline and diesel fuel prices are poised to drop for North Carolinians following a special extra session of the General Assembly on Wednesday that passed legislation pausing 41 cents per gallon taxes on the two commodities.

The suspension is through Nov. 30. The legislation also allows farmers to use dyed diesel in highway vehicles for agricultural-related purposes without penalty through Dec. 31, a move backing the state’s $102 billion a year agriculture and agri-business industry in the heart of harvest time.

Relief at the Pump, known also as House Bill 3, procedurally sailed through the House of Representatives and Senate. Democrats howled about the timing despite their votes. The corresponding consequence is a loss of revenue, and lawmakers addressed that in the bill language.

House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, in a release said the state’s Stabilization and Inflation Reserve account will replace the fuel tax revenue that the state Department of Transportation’s Highway and Highway Fund would otherwise receive during the suspension period.

An estimated $362.3 million is in play, according to Rockingham County 13th term Sen. Phil Berger Jr. He also said the account to draw from has a balance of about $518 million available. First-term Republican state Treasurer Brad Briner, in published reports, said $11 billion in reserves means the amount would not negatively impact the state’s top-level credit rating.

It is unclear how soon, provided first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein signs the measure, the prices at the pumps would drop. Also unclear is whether prices will be an exact 41-cent decrease.

Wednesday morning, AAA reported the state average at $5.99 for a gallon of diesel fuel and $4.12 for regular unleaded gasoline. National averages are $6.30 and $4.36, respectively. Twelve states are lower for diesel fuel, 16 are lower for unleaded gasoline.

Stein joined a number of Democrats, including chamber minority leaders Sen. Sydney Batch of Wake County and Rep. Robert Reives of Chatham County, in accusing Republicans of baiting voters.

“I hope the General Assembly’s interest in providing needed relief to North Carolinians extends well beyond the election,” Stein said. “Let’s keep working to make life more affordable for working families.”

For context, federal legislation signed July 4, 2025, by second-term Republican President Donald Trump – known as House Bill 1, or One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or Working Families Tax Cut – is estimated to have swung income taxes an average of $1,000 for each taxpayer. No Democrats in the U.S. Senate, plus North Carolina’s Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, were for it and no Democrats in the U.S. House were for it in respective passages of 51-50 with a tie-breaker vote from Vice President J.D. Vance and 218-214.

Fourteen of 170 state lawmakers on Wednesday had excused absences. Fifteen Democratic senators were in the chamber’s 41-0 passage; only Guilford County Democratic Rep. Pricey Harrison was against in the House of Representatives’ 111-1 passage that included 42 Democrats and two unaffiliated lawmakers previously in the Democratic Party.

In a release, Wilson Republican Sen. Buck Newton said, “Elected officials are hearing from hardworking North Carolinians every day who are feeling the strain of rising fuel costs. For the last 15 years, Republicans in the General Assembly have been good stewards of your tax dollars, which allows us to provide you relief at the pump.”

Similar steps have been taken this year by Georgia, Indiana and Ohio.

Wake County Republican Rep. Mike Schietzelt said, “People are paying far too much to commute to work, drop their kids off at school, and run basic errands. Our duty is to help where we can and make everyday life more affordable, especially with travel holidays approaching. By suspending the gas tax, we're relieving some of the cost pressures on working families.”

Added Nash County Republican Rep. Allen Chesser, “Farmers can’t stop their tractors because diesel is too expensive. They still need to harvest their crops and get them to market. And when it costs more to operate equipment, those costs get passed along to folks when they checkout with their groceries. Every gallon of fuel matters to farmers this time of year, and this bill makes it easier for them to make a good living growing the food we all need.”