Alaska Gov. Bill Walker plans to call the state Legislature back to Juneau in October for its fourth special session of the year, his administration told lawmakers Thursday.
The Legislature held three special sessions earlier this year before it approved Alaska's annual operating and capital budgets, but it failed to resolve major proposals to fix the state's multibillion-dollar deficit, such as new taxes or a restructuring of the Alaska Permanent Fund.
Walker is now planning to order legislators back to Juneau Oct. 23 for a special session "on the subject of revenue," his legislative director, Darwin Peterson, wrote in an email to lawmakers Thursday.
The specific legislation Walker will propose in October will be outlined in his proclamation formally convening the special session, which will be issued on or before Sept. 22, the governor said in a prepared statement.
Walker had previously hinted he would reconvene the Legislature before the end of this year.
Next year, most lawmakers are up for re-election, and veterans of the Legislature say the closer Election Day approaches, the less likely officials are to vote to take politically perilous steps like restructuring the Permanent Fund.