Alaska lawmakers to meet _ in Anchorage

Lawmakers will return to work Tuesday for a special session in Anchorage _ a first for Alaska, where some worry there's a move afoot to unseat Juneau as the state capital.

Lawmakers will take up a bill to extend assistance to about 7,000 low-income seniors. The $120 monthly checks under SeniorCare are scheduled to expire June 30 unless the Legislature acts.

Aggressive plans call for the session to last one day, though lawmakers have the Egan Civic and Convention Center in downtown Anchorage booked for three days.

Lawmakers opted to hold the session in Anchorage rather than Juneau, saying it will be more convenient for a short-term legislative session. A higher concentration of lawmakers live in or closer to Anchorage than Juneau, which is accessible only by plane or boat.

House Speaker John Harris, R-Valdez, said the Anchorage session is not meant to be viewed as the first step toward a permanent move or means to reprise previous efforts to move the capital.

Still, Minority Leader Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, says she hopes this session is not a precursor to such a move.

"You can't underestimate the impact this has; I'm trying the best I can to be level-headed because I don't believe this is a panic situation," Kerttula said.

"I understand this is a one-time, critical issue; I'm also mindful of the concerns in Juneau. We'll be all right, but it worries me," she said.

In December, newly elected Gov. Sarah Palin chose to take the oath of office in Fairbanks, bucking tradition and sending a shiver of anxiety through Alaska's southeastern region.

"Juneau, beware; it's the first step," warned an editorial in the Ketchikan Daily News.