MONDAY, APRIL 16  ▪  Lawmakers enter the home stretch  (WSLC Legislative Update) -- The final week of the session begins amid hopeful signs on a number of labor-supported bills, including Family Leave Insurance (SB 5659), which was amended/passed in the House.

Legislative news:
▪  In Sunday's Olympian -- Late-moving "fair share" bill loses support -- Moderate Democrats in the House suddenly turned against a labor-backed proposal to force big companies to reimburse the state when their workers use state-subsidized health care plans.
▪  In Saturday's Seattle Times -- House OKs paid leave for parents -- The Democratic-controlled House passes a bill to give parents paid leave to bond with newborn or newly adopted children. 
▪  In the Spokesman-Review -- Family leave is last measure to clear House -- "No one should have to choose between the job that they need and the baby that they love," says Rep. Dickerson.
▪  In the Everett Herald -- Family leave bill not in clear yet -- While the House passed a bill to allow workers five weeks of paid family leave, some lawmakers worry about the tax burden.
▪  Saturday from AP -- Union political spending bill passes both chambers -- The governor still needs to review the "agency fee" legislation before deciding whether to sign it.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Senate committee OKs arena proposal -- Legislation to authorize some taxpayer funding of a proposed arena in Renton cleared a key legislative committee Friday, but it's unclear whether the proposal will advance any further before the Legislature's adjournment. 
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Last chance for Sonics arena -- Gregoire, leaders set Monday deadline. 
▪  In Sunday's Seattle Times -- Arena makes sense for Renton (op-ed) -- The proposed King County Events Center is another opportunity for a community that has dreamed big -- and for King County to attract large-scale events that now go to other major cities across the country.
▪  In today's Seattle Times -- Don't blow $1 billion hole in future budgets (editorial) -- Gov. Gregoire's proposal to phase out "gainsharing" for state and local government employees, HB 1771, is a good compromise between the interests of public employees and taxpayers. 

Local news:
▪  In today's Seattle P-I -- New 520 bridge may mean new taxes -- As it now stands even if voters approve $16 billion in new taxes this fall, the $30 billion worth of Puget Sound transportation investments does not provide enough money for the $4.4 billion SR 520 bridge replacement.
▪  In Sunday's News Tribune -- Highway 167 plan packs major economic punch (editorial) -- The proposed extension of Highway 167 in Pierce County isn’t the headline-grabber that King County’s behemoth highway projects are, but it could have economic rewards they can’t match.
▪  In today's Everett Herald -- Bringing the Dreamliner together -- With parts flying in from suppliers in the U.S. and 3 other countries, Boeing’s challenge is ensuring everyone is on the same page.
▪  In Sunday's Bellingham Herald -- Working together on safety -- Employers and the state Department of Labor and Industries focus on solving issues before they become a problem. 
▪  In today's News Tribune -- Tacoma Community College cuts 16 jobs, some courses
▪  From AP -- Rossi's inaction worries his party -- While Gov. Gregoire has racked up $1.6 million for a possible rematch and is front-page news most days, Dino Rossi is tantalizing or frustrating his backers by taking his sweet time making a decision about whether he'll run for governor.

National news:
▪  In Sunday's Baltimore Sun -- Guest workers: A worn-out labor idea (Sweeney op-ed) -- Corporate America has made an expanded guest worker program the cornerstone of its preferred brand of immigration reform, and no wonder: It will assure a flow of cheap labor from indentured workers too afraid of being deported to protest substandard wages and unsafe working conditions.
▪  In the Houston Chronicle -- Debate rages about modifying federal Family and Medical Leave Act -- Workers urge White House to abandon plans to tinker with it by redefining "serious illnesses."  
▪  Today from AP -- Wal-Mart dethrones Exxon atop Fortune 500