MASS. - The average price of gas in Massachusetts hit another record on Thursday. It’s up 63 cents from just a week ago and $1.62 from this time last year. 

A proposal by state representative Peter Durant (R-6th Worcester) to suspend the state’s gas tax was shot down on Wednesday. 

Durant asked for the $0.24/gallon gas tax to be dropped anytime gas prices rise to more than $4 a gallon and suspend it until they fall to less than $3.70 a gallon. 

Durant said he’s still working to push similar ideas forward, but was shocked some of his Democratic colleagues called it a "gimmick."

“Some of the arguments they were making were that it would hurt our bond rating because the gas tax goes to a dedicated revenue stream,” Durant said. “What we’re looking to do is back fill that revenue stream with the surplus we have.”

Meanwhile, state representative Jim O’Day (D-14th Worcester) said the move would affect the state’s bond rating. 

“If we were to somehow adjust that bond rate money out of the gas tax, then we wouldn’t be paying our responsibility to that end of things and that would probably annoy the bond rating people,” O’Day said. “Which would then in turn have a negative impact on us as a commonwealth in how we borrow money through the bond process.”

Durant said there isn’t much else to be done at the state level, so he’s hopeful a similar relief measure can be passed.