Doh! news: 

►  In today's Seattle P-I -- L&I error enriched builders' group -- The state Department of Labor and Industries has acknowledged an "error" that has cost it between $10 million and $15 million a year. The overpayments have delivered millions of extra dollars to the Building Industry Association of Washington and other business lobbying groups. The error goes back to 1994 and was discovered by actuaries as they responded to a legislative request for data on what is officially known as L&I's Retrospective Rating Program.

►  In today's Olympian -- Computer code cost state millions -- The error "amounts to less than one-half cent per hour worked and wasn't large enough to be detected by the normal audit process," L&I says in a news release. (Didn't anybody see "Office Space" or "Superman 3"?)

►  At SeattleWeekly.com -- BIAW turns out to be right about government bureaucrats -- It's impossible to say yet how much the BIAW might have benefited from this overpayment, but the builders' lobby is the biggest participant in the "retro" program and uses the refund money to fund its political machine. The fact that government "incompetence" has, for years now, been helping the BIAW underwrite its war on government is either fitting or ironic. (The staff of WSLC Reports Today is willing to bet that the code was written by a private sector contractor.)

Economic stimulus news: 

►  Today from AP -- Dems: Tentative settlement on $790 billion bill -- Negotiators for Congress and the White House have tentatively settled on a $790 billion price tag on the economic stimulus bill and are working to narrow differences on individual elements of the bill.

►  In today's Washington Post -- States counting on stimulus aid to balance budgets -- Senate and House leaders played down discrepancies between the two versions, saying that both would provide a boost to the economy. But for states, the differences are potentially enormous. The House included $79 billion in direct aid to states, $40 billion more than the Senate, and governors are counting on that money to help balance budgets that are billions in the red.

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Senate stimulus bill cuts school construction, state money -- School construction funding, including more than $208 million to help modernize nearly 140 schools in Washington state, was dropped as the Senate passed its version of the plan.

►  In The Hill -- A strong economy is an equal one (op-ed by AFL-CIO President John Sweeney) -- Twenty thousand people lose their jobs each day while Congress continues to wrangle over the details of the stimulus. Americans need an economic recovery plan now. Right now.

Employee Free Choice Act news:  

►  Today at AFL-CIO Now -- Spokane leader: Don't believe anti-union smear campaign  -- In an op-ed appearing in the (Spokane) Spokesman-review this week, Beth Thew, secretary-treasurer of the Spokane Regional Labor Council, AFL-CIO, cuts through the spin and notes who’s behind the big-dollar corporate campaign against the freedom to form unions and bargain -- and what they’re really fighting for. Be sure to read Thew’s entire op-ed, “Propagandists Mask Free Choice Act Facts.” It’s a great corrective to the misinformation that’s being spread by corporate shills and shady front groups.

Local news:  

►  In today's Seattle P-I -- Boeing may trim assembly line in 2010, exec says -- With a record backlog for 3,666 planes valued at about $279 billion, Boeing says it plans to keep production steady even as the global recession lowers travel demand and dries up airlines' financing. But cuts loom if more orders are deferred or canceled.

►  In today's Walla Walla U-B -- Union-DOC settlement to save 19 prison jobs -- A marathon negotiating session resulted in 19 corrections officers jobs (Teamsters Local 117) being saved for now at Washington State Penitentiary, but dozens more are still slated for layoffs.

►  In today's Yakima H-R -- Workers at Yakima Regional start picketing next week -- Maintenance and service workers (SEIU 1199NW) will start “informational picketing” at Yakima Regional Medical and Cardiac Center, prompting the hospital to arrange for temporary replacements.

►  In today's Bellingham Herald -- Bellingham approves new wages, benefits with union -- City Council members approve a 3-year contract with AFSCME Local 114 with salary increases through 2011 but also has employees contributing a larger share of the costs of their benefits.

►  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Kitsap County employees volunteer for unpaid time off -- As of Monday, 68 workers had opted to take time off -- saving $250,000 -- in an effort to prevent further layoffs.

►  In today's Daily News -- McShane's tenure as Longview Fibre president comes to an end -- Company officials declined to say whether he departed voluntarily or was forced out. 

Legislative news:  

►  In today's Olympian -- Bills would let child-care professionals unionize -- Child-care professionals disagreed before a Senate committee Tuesday whether allowing child-care providers to organize unions would improve funding and the quality of care. SB 5572 and HB 1329 would allow union representation for child-care centers that take in at least four children who receive child-care subsidies. The union would bargain with the state over the subsidies, reimbursement and education incentives for workers. Bargaining would not include retirement benefits.

►  In today's Seattle P-I -- University of Washington: Looming disaster (editorial) -- UW's warnings about hundreds of layoffs is a warning signal of larger troubles for families, the Puget Sound region and the state. The UW says admissions would also have to be cut. Over time, the undergraduate capacity might shrink 15%. That's completely unacceptable.

►  In today's Olympian -- Gregoire begins effort to streamline government -- The governor has started small in her approach to reducing the state's budget deficit, but plans to make some bigger moves, including possibly merging large agencies, her top policy adviser says. 

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- Payday loan bills introduced -- It’s become an annual ritual in the Statehouse: low-income people and advocates descend on Olympia to blast payday loans. It’s too easy, they say, for desperate families to get trapped in a cycle of high-interest debt.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Bill seeks 18.5% porn tax -- Federal Way Democratic Rep. Mark Miloscia's push to tax pornographic materials to help counter a $6 billion budget shortfall would likely draw constitutional challenges from the highly litigious adult-entertainment industry.