Special session is needed to preserve integrity

It didn’t take long Thursday to learn not all state lawmakers believe the state’s Petroleum Profits Tax should be revisited.

Called to special session by Gov. Sarah Palin, the Alaska Legislature is charged again with producing an equitable oil profits sharing plan. It’s work most had done in 2006, but the PPT that passed 26-14 in the House and 14-5 in the Senate has been spoiled by corruption within the Legislature.

Governor Palin has called the process “tainted,” and it is. Whether or not a handful of Republican lawmakers — some convicted, others accused — allowed their PPT votes to be bought by former influential officers with oil services company VECO, the appearance of impropriety is enough to force this special session.

Some resent being brought back to Juneau for what could be a month of debate and reworking of the oil revenue sharing plan. What they should resent is that some of their own would sell out their constituents, the integrity of the Alaska Legislature and the hard work that went into creating the PPT in the first place.

The recent investigations and court processes surrounding former lawmakers charged with selling their votes have done enough to damage the process that the only way to make a clean break is to do it again. A compelling argument can be made that the PPT would have passed regardless of the corrupt votes. While taking this at face value would be more expedient and less expensive, it would leave the PPT forever branded as a product of impropriety.

In collegiate athletics, if the NCAA finds a Division I program allowed ineligible players to participate, potential penalties include voiding the record for that season. Whether the players in question would have affected the outcome of games or the team’s final record, the NCAA can strike the season because the team was tainted by the improper participation. We’ve seen it happen.

It’s the same with our state Legislature. Governor Palin’s argument a special session is in order because the PPT passed last year is tainted isn’t the most important reason for lawmakers to be in Juneau now. Whether one believes the PPT bears a taint or not, there is no question the Legislature that passed it does.

The governor has also used this as an opportunity to introduce a new oil revenue sharing plan, ACES, which may or may not be more beneficial than the PPT. What’s most important is our lawmakers use this time to not only review, revise and pass good legislation that benefits all Alaska residents, but also to begin rebuilding the public’s trust and confidence in the political process.