SC lawmaker calls for special session to address gas prices

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - As gas prices continue rising in South Carolina, a state lawmaker is calling for a special session to address the state’s gas tax.

State Rep. Jordan Pace, a Republican and chair of the state’s Freedom Caucus, called for leadership in both the House and Senate to bring lawmakers back to Columbia on Monday in efforts to pass a gas-tax rebate.

Pace’s office said his proposal is a rebate of $300 for every household that claimed dependents on is most recent state income tax return and $200 for every other household that filed a return.

According to his office, Pace’s proposal would cost nearly $500 million while also claiming it would be “fully funded without raising taxes or disrupting bonded obligations.”

Pace’s office also said the funding would come from removing earmarks from the recently-enacted House appropriations bill as well as “reclaiming 90% of the unencumbered portion of agency carry-forward balances.”

“Families in South Carolina are still paying the gas tax every time they fill up,” Pace said in a statement. “They deserve relief now. A direct rebate puts money back in the pockets of the people who paid the tax instead of spreading it across political projects.”

It’s unclear if a special session will be called.

As of Monday, data from AAA showed that regular prices in South Carolina reached an average of $3.92 per gallon, while diesel reached $6.04 per gallon. Both prices are more than a dollar compared to the same point in 2025.

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