OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – House Bill 3349, the effort to eliminate state taxes on groceries for Oklahomans, passed in the Senate Committee on Appropriations at the State Capitol Tuesday with no opposition. The House had previously passed the measure.

The move comes as Oklahomans are paying increasingly higher prices due to historic inflation which reached another all-time high in March. The rate was just under eight percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

If the measure passes the Senate and gets the approval of the governor, the state tax, which is currently 4.5 percent, would be eliminated for two years, beginning in July.

“The prices are really skyrocketing on food and like eggs and bread that are normally staples,” said Oklahoma City resident Melanie Campos. “Living paycheck to paycheck, the prices are so high it’s hard to get by.”

The Oklahoma Regional Food Bank also weighed in Tuesday in an email to KFOR, adding that the legislature has a unique opportunity to make an investment that can help many Oklahomans get ahead, while saying that they also hoped lawmakers would “utilize those resources in ways that both keep our budget strong through adequate funding of services and provide economic relief for Oklahomans in need.”

“Every little bit helps,” Campos continued. “If it helps to lessen the load of the cost of things, that would be really awesome.”