COLUMBIA -- House lawmakers Wednesday voted to suspend the state's 16.75-cent gas tax from October through December, hours after Gov. Mark Sanford and House members proposed a plan to lift the tax at pumps this summer.

The vote came amid skepticism about whether drivers will see 16 cents a gallon in relief.

The House changed the time period from summer to late fall, saying it will benefit state residents more than tourists who flock to the beaches.

The measure, tucked inside the House budget, must be approved by the Senate, where Democrats attacked it Wednesday as a political "gimmick" and Republican leaders reacted with wariness.

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House members voted to require that gas prices be cut 16.75 cents a gallon during the three-month period after some realized the initial proposal only lifted the gas tax to distributors.

But lawmakers said even with that provision, gas companies can raise prices before October and then lower them to comply with the law.

Others questioned the math. While Sanford's staff estimated it would cost $134 million, House members said the cost would be closer to $100 million, which would be paid for through new budget surpluses.

Harry Ott, leader of the House Democrats, lectured his colleagues for rushing into the plan and misplacing their priorities.

He said the money should have gone for real needs, including health care for poor children, rural development, road improvements and kindergarten for 4-year-olds.

The state Department of Transportation, which has piled up more than $1 billion in construction and maintenance backlogs, isn't to be hurt by the legislation, lawmakers said.

But several wondered why their colleagues were rushing to cut the gas tax but not to improve the state's infrastructure.

Rep. Rubin Rivers, a Jasper County Democrat, said he could already hear the calls from constituents: "You mean you've got $100 million lying around and you're not fixing our roads?"

Sanford, surrounded by House GOP members and even some Democrats, proposed the gas-tax cut earlier Wednesday, saying the state had enjoyed almost $1 billion of new revenue this year.

"Whether it's easing the pain at the pump on the way to work or on the way to the Grand Strand for summer vacation, this tax relief is something that would make a real impact on South Carolinians' lives and pocketbooks," Sanford said.

The governor's staff projected the plan could save each family in the state about $63.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell said soon-to-be-released revenue projections would show the state can afford to pay for property tax relief and the suspension of gas taxes for three months.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell said he "wouldn't close the door to it," adding, "If we're looking at how to benefit the taxpayer, the first place is to retire bonds or use the surplus for things we would otherwise borrow money for."

Sen. Brad Hutto of Orangeburg, speaking for the Senate Democratic Caucus, accused Sanford of engaging in "election-year pandering."

Hutto said that with little more than a month before the Republican primary, "Sanford finally realizes regular South Carolinians are hurting because of inflated gas prices. His timing is extremely suspicious. Election-year gimmicks like this cannot cover the fact that four years of Mark Sanford have been a disaster for South Carolina."

The House considered other options, including a proposal by Rep. Rex Rice of Easley to offer $100 refundable tax credits to every tax filer. That proposal was defeated 58-38.

Rep. Doug Jennings criticized his colleagues for approving a "little political gimmickry" that would amount to a tank and a half worth of gas on the same day it limited funding for 4-year-old kindergarten to "six measly million dollars."

The governor said he was making his proposal because of the lack of tax relief provided this year by the Senate. He denied that his plan was influenced by politics or elections.

Sanford and House members are up for re-election this year.

The campaign of Oscar Lovelace, Sanford's challenger in the June 13 primary, called the plan "an election-eve gimmick."

Rod Shealy, the Prosperity physician's strategist, questioned why Sanford didn't back "the same idea" when some lawmakers proposed it weeks ago.

Karen Gutmann, press secretary for state Sen. Tommy Moore of Clearwater, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for governor, chided Sanford.

"Last fall, South Carolinians begged Mark Sanford for help after devastating hurricanes caused gas prices to skyrocket. Sanford declined, citing his faith in market forces.

"It seems market forces can't be trusted so much in an election year," she said.

Joe Werner, spokesman for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Frank Willis, said Sanford, having tried to "buy the election in January" with a failed plan for a $400 income tax rebate, now "is going back to the bag of incumbent tricks."

"Our schools are underfunded. Our unemployment rate is fourth highest in the nation, and Mark Sanford is more worried about election-year pandering than actually putting our state back to work."