Waxhaw-area drivers paying more than $4 a gallon for gas could see prices drop about 30 cents within days.

The North Carolina General Assembly on Wednesday, Oct. 7, passed House Bill 3, the Relief at the Pump Act, suspending the state's 41-cent-per-gallon motor fuel tax through Monday, Nov. 30. The bill now sits on Gov. Josh Stein's desk.

As we reported Tuesday, lawmakers convened a one-day special session to take up the measure. The House voted 111-1, and the Senate voted 41-0 shortly before 4 p.m., WBTV reported. Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, cast the only no vote in either chamber.

Regular gas in the Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill metro area, the closest AAA market that includes Union County, averaged $4.14 per gallon as of Thursday, Oct. 8, according to AAA. Statewide, the average was up from about $2.86 a year ago.

State Rep. Grant Campbell, R-District 83, said before the vote that drivers should expect a price drop of around 30 cents per gallon, taking effect seven to 10 days after the suspension begins. The full 41-cent tax is suspended, but how much reaches the pump depends on whether retailers pass the savings along.

"We have an ability to make a big difference in the pocketbooks of people and do it fairly quickly," Campbell told WSOC-TV on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

The bill states that savings are expected to be passed to consumers. Senate Republicans rejected an amendment from Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, D-Wake, that would have given the attorney general power to act on complaints about retailers that do not lower prices, according to WFAE.

What it costs the state

The price tag is steep. The suspension will reduce transportation revenue by an estimated $362.3 million, according to the Senate's cost estimate. Lawmakers plan to backfill that gap from the state's Stabilization and Inflation Reserve, a rainy-day fund holding about $518 million, WXII reported.

The motor fuel tax provides roughly 40 percent of North Carolina's state-generated transportation revenue, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Farmer diesel provision

The bill also waives penalties through Thursday, Dec. 31, for highway use of dyed diesel fuel for farming and agricultural purposes. That provision mirrors an executive order Stein issued the previous week allowing farmers to use red-dyed diesel on highways.

What happens next

Stein has 10 days to sign, veto or let the bill become law without his signature, according to the News & Observer. A spokesperson for the governor said in a statement that elected officials need to do more to provide relief and that Stein will continue working to lower costs for North Carolinians.

House Speaker Destin Hall told reporters that lawmakers may extend the gas tax pause during the legislature's November voting session. No date for that session has been announced.

If the full savings reach drivers, a 15-gallon fill-up would cost about $6.15 less and a 20-gallon fill-up about $8.20 less.