Illinois' gas tax tougher to suspend than Indiana's

By Veronica Gonzalez

June 29, 2000 Web posted at: 2:59 PM EDT (1859 GMT)

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (Daily Herald) -- Indiana's governor wanted a temporary gas tax reprieve for drivers - and got it practically with a finger snap. Illinois Gov. George Ryan wants to do the same but won't have nearly as easy a time.

Using an obscure state law, Indiana Gov. Frank O'Bannon on Tuesday signed the rollback into law - suspending that state's five percent gas tax for 60 days in response to skyrocketing gas prices. Without such a law giving him power to unilaterally suspend the tax, Ryan had to call lawmakers back to Springfield and will have to persuade them to suspend the state's five percent tax for six months.

Ryan called the special session last week right after O'Bannon announced his plan.Dennis Culloton, a Ryan spokesman, said legislative debate is valuable when it comes to deciding such issues.

"The tool they have in Indiana can be helpful for short term, but there's something to be said for having the General Assembly involved and have them discuss and debate an emergency issue like this," Culloton said.

"I'm not saying one is better or worse than the other. The governor is very comfortable working with the legislature to respond to the needs of consumers."

The 1970s gas shortage prompted Indiana's legislature in 1981 to pass a law allowing the governor to declare an energy emergency if the state has a shortage of gasoline or other energy source that could disrupt people's lives. Last week, O'Bannon declared such an emergency because the high prices in the Midwest could cause people to lose their jobs and are hurting businesses, said Jennifer Dunlap, an O'Bannon spokeswoman. The 60-day suspension of Indiana's tax starts Saturday.

Illinois' special session will cost taxpayers $48,590, based on the amount 177 lawmakers will be paid for expenses for two days they are scheduled to meet. That amount is based on what they will spend on meals, lodging and mileage.

Illinois governor suspends state gas tax to ease fuel price spike
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