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Reported by us | Fall River

House rejects 60-day gas tax holiday, 30 to 122; Fall River delegation splits

The amendment to the fiscal 2026 supplemental budget drew five Democrats, two of them from Fall River, and all 25 Republicans. The Senate takes up its own version of the budget next.

By the SC360 Breaking and Public Safety Desk | Published Oct. 22, 2026 | Last verified Oct. 22, 2026, 3:35 p.m. ET

FALL RIVER The Massachusetts House rejected a 60-day suspension of the state's 24-cent-a-gallon gas tax on Wednesday, turning back Amendment 160 to the fiscal 2026 supplemental budget, 30 to 122. Fall River's three state representatives split on the vote: Alan Silvia and Steven Ouellette voted for the suspension, and Carole Fiola, a Democrat, voted against it, the Fall River Reporter reported.

The amendment, titled the Gas Tax Holiday, would have suspended the 24-cent state tax on gasoline and diesel for 60 days. It required gas stations to lower their prices by the full amount of the tax, made failing to do so an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the state's consumer protection law, and would have replaced the lost transportation money with a transfer from the Education and Transportation Fund, the account fed by the state's surtax on incomes over $1 million.

Rep. Todd Smola, a Warren Republican, filed the amendment, and every House Republican cosponsored it, including Justin Thurber of Somerset and Steven Howitt of Seekonk, along with one Democrat, Colleen Garry of Dracut. Silvia and Ouellette were two of only five Democrats to vote yes.

The vote came during Wednesday's debate on H.5699, a $2.35 billion supplemental budget to close out fiscal 2026, reported out of the House Ways and Means Committee the same day. After the amendment votes, the House passed the budget to be engrossed, 152 to 0. All three Fall River representatives voted for the budget itself.

Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, proposed a two-month gas tax suspension in September, saying surplus tax revenue would cover the cost without hurting transportation funding. House Ways and Means left the suspension out of its budget. Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, a Boston Democrat, called the idea "a gimmick" and said "the numbers just don't add up," questioning whether wholesalers and distributors would pass the 24 cents on to drivers and warning that the lost revenue could cut into money for transportation projects and the MBTA. Healey said she was disappointed by the vote. "I am going to keep fighting for it," she said. Mike Minogue, a Republican candidate for governor, called the House's move "a political stunt, pure and simple."

The statewide average price of gas was about $4.28 a gallon this week, according to AAA. The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance estimated a 60-day suspension would have saved drivers about $120 million. A similar suspension amendment failed 132 to 25 during budget debate in April.

The supplemental budget now moves to the Senate, which will take up its own version. The two chambers then have to agree on a final bill; Michlewitz has said he hopes to send a compromise to Healey by Nov. 15. Fall River is split among three House districts, so which representative a resident has depends on their street. The amendment roll call is Yea and Nay No. 271.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.

Notes

The vote totals and the bill's path come from the Legislature's own records: the H.5699 bill history (Amendment 160 rejected 30 to 122, Yea and Nay No. 271), the H.5700 history (passed to be engrossed 152 to 0, No. 275, on 10/21/2026) and the No. 271 roll call itself, which shows Silvia and Ouellette voting yes and Fiola voting no. Where the outlet's numbers differ (121 nays; a 143 to 8 final), the official record controls and the story uses it; the 143 to 8 figure in the record is the vote on consolidated amendment B, not the final vote. The local delegation split, the amendment's mechanics, the sponsors and the quotes are attributed to the outlet credited once in the story. Party labels verified at the copy desk: Fiola is a Democrat (the outlet reports every vote against the amendment came from Democrats), Michlewitz's member profile reads 'Democrat - 3rd Suffolk', and the National Governors Association lists Healey's party as Democratic; both profiles were fetched and saved. The draft's 'Eight of the House's 160 members did not vote' was cut at verify: the official record gives only votes cast (152) and the outlet's sourced count (six, per MassVoter) conflicts with the draft's arithmetic, so the claim was unconfirmed. Every quote is verbatim from the outlet's text. No charged person is named; no juvenile is named. Weekday check: Oct. 21, 2026 was a Wednesday; Nov. 15 is a Sunday (the target date is stated as the chairman's hope, not a session day). We checked each date and weekday against a calendar.

Corrections

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Sources (6)

  1. Massachusetts Legislature: Bill H.5699, An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2026 (bill history)The primary record: on 10/21/2026 the bill was reported by House Ways and Means, rules were suspended, it was read a second and third time, Amendment 160 was rejected 30 YEAS to 122 NAYS (Yea and Nay No. 271), Amendment 182 was rejected, Amendment 183 was rejected 25 to 127 (No. 272), Consolidated amendments A (132 to 19, No. 273) and B (143 to 8, No. 274) were adopted, and the bill was published as amended as H.5700. The bill carries an emergency preamble. Fetched and saved as gov-h5699-bill-history.html. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
  2. Massachusetts Legislature: Bill H.5700, House bill No. 5699 as amended and passed to be engrossed (bill history)The final House vote: on 10/21/2026 the bill was passed to be engrossed, 152 YEAS to 0 NAYS (Yea and Nay No. 275). Read Oct. 22, 2026.
  3. Massachusetts House: Yea and Nay No. 271 (Amendment 160)The roll call: 30 yeas, 122 nays, 5 not voting; Silvia, Ouellette, Smola, Garry, Thurber and Howitt voted yes; Fiola voted no. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
  4. Massachusetts Legislature: Rep. Aaron Michlewitz member profileHis party and district: "Democrat - 3rd Suffolk" (Boston). Fetched and saved as gov-michlewitz-profile.html. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
  5. National Governors Association: Gov. Maura Healey profileHer party: "Party Democratic". Fetched and saved as gov-healey-nga.html. Read Oct. 22, 2026.
  6. Also reported by: Fall River Reporter.

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