After running into the wee hours of the morning, the Alaska Legislature began to look to their lives beyond the capital as they anticipated going back to their hometowns across the state. Their celebrations were came too soon.

Fourteen minutes into the hour alotted to issue the order, Governor Parnell ordered the House and Senate back to work on Wednesday afternoon starting at 1 pm.

Parnell called the legislature back to work to hammer out legislation to deal with three areas that did not find a solution in the regular session, Oil tax legislation, an Alaskan Pipeline and tougher penalties for human trafficking.

Oil Tax Reform is high on the Governor’s To-Do list. This legislation will no doubt take up the bulk of the session that can last up to 30 days. The House and the Senate are far apart on the issue. Concerned that the oil industry in the state has made promises but no guarantees, Senate members have called it a “$2 Billion Givaway.” The House sees the Oil Tax reduction as necessary and passed a bill last year to give it to the companies.

The Senate recently gave incentives to new discoveries, but Parnell says it is not enough to give the incentives to new discoveries that will take years to develop. He wants to include existing wells into the deal as well. The House killed the Senate bill when it came back in another of their bills.

Parnell stated, “So my concern there is that vast resources in our legacy fields will remain untapped. They’ll remain locked in the ground not being maximized for Alaskans.” Mike Chenault, Republican from Kenai, agrees with Parnell, saying that it isn’t enough to fix just one piece of the pie.

Gary Stevens, Senate President, said that that chamber worked to put out the New Field Tax during the regular session and challenged the governor and House, “Now it’s time, if others don’t like our approach simply on new oil, then its time for someone else, either the Governor or the House to come forth with a bill and prove it. Show us how its good for the people of Alaska.”

Parnell intends to do just that on Wednesday, when he introduces a tax plan that will incorporate the Senate’s New well tax incentive and adds the existing wells to it.

Another issue that the legislature wil take up during this special session is a gas pipeline. House speaker Mike Chenault had made the pipeline one of his top priorities. Chenault said of the Senate’s lack of action on the Gas pipeline bill from the House, he said the Senate is “failing Alaskans in need of affordable natural gas.” But, even fellow House members are doubtful of the advantages of that gas bill, Beth Kerttula said of the line, “It would bring us some of the most expensive gas Alaskans have ever seen.” Kerttula also has concerns that the gas line might freeze out new exploration in Cook Inlet. Of the most concern though, is that the bill would authorize a state agency to begin construction without the need to go before the legislature for the go-ahead.

Opponents of that gasline also feel that the state needs to go bigger with a larger diameter line that could be used to export much larger quantities of gas and supply the state’s coffers with more revenue.

The least contentious of the three items slated for this special session is the bill already passed by the House on Sex Trafficking. That bill gives authorities more power to go after criminals trying to take rural Alaska girls and women and turn them out for big city prostitution. That bill will carry harsher penalties as well.

That bill is expected to shoot right through the Senate on a passing vote. It was one of the bills that just was lost in the hustle and bustle of trying to get out of Juneau. It is widely agreed that the law is a necessary one and there hasn’t been much if any arguement over details.

The legislature will go back into session tomorrow at 1 pm.