Legislative news:

►  In today's Olympian -- State employee furlough vote readied in Senate -- A move to shut down state agencies one day a month and give state workers furloughs to save money is on its way to an expected quick passage in the state Senate as soon as today. WFSE Executive Director Greg Devereux derided the bill and warned that Democrats are playing with electoral fire. (The WFSE is urging supporters of state employees to call their senators at 1-800-562-6000 and tell them to vote NO on SSB 6503. Its unintended consequences will cost more, not less.)

►  At SeattlePI.com -- Billion dollar headache: Looming pension liability worries state officials -- Republicans in the Legislature are sounding the alarm about another billion-dollar problem looming for Washington -- the unfunded liability in the state's pension system. That number now stands at about $6 billion, they say. "Pensions aren't a sexy way to spend money," said state Sen. Joseph Zarelli (R-Ridgefield). "To me it's an obligation. We have to pay that debt."

►  In the Columbia Basin Herald -- Sen. Schoesler wants to change the Constitution -- Sen. Mark Schoesler (R-Ritzville) has proposed a constitutional amendment (SJR 8223) to allow the state actuary more power related to setting rates in the public pension system. 

►  In today's Tri-City Herald -- Legislature should pass bill to expand fire service (editorial) -- It's about time our state leaders did something to address the danger of fires in "no man's land" areas outside the jurisdiction of existing fire districts and departments. HB 2549 would do this.

Transportation news: 

►  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Commission seeks higher Narrows Bridge tolls -- The state Transportation Commission wants to increase toll-booth tolls from $4 to $5 and transponder tolls from $2.75 to $3.25. Treasurer Jim McIntire wants tolls to generate 110% of bridge costs so he can get the lowest bond rates for upcoming megaprojects like the new 520 bridge.

►  In the (Aberdeen) Daily World -- Testing moves forward at Satsop -- Industrial engineers continue working to develop the right concrete recipe and process to build the strongest pontoons possible for the upcoming Highway 520 project. Eventually, most of the pontoon construction work will be done in Aberdeen or Hoquiam, but for now, testing is being done at Satsop.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Tentative deal reached on I-90 bridge light rail -- Under the deal, light-rail trains will take over the bridge's express lanes, in return for Sound Transit spending $153 million to create replacement lanes for buses and carpools. The deal improves the odds that Link light-rail service between Seattle and Bellevue can begin in 10 years as promised.1

►  From AP -- BIAW sponsors workers' comp privatization initiative -- The BIAW wants voters to decide if the state's workers' compensation system should face private competition, a move bitterly opposed by organized labor and top Democratic lawmakers. BIAW Executive Vice President Tom McCabe says the initiative will force the state Department of Labor and Industries "to compete in the marketplace." House Speaker Frank Chopp said it would be "an absolute tragedy" to privatize the state-run system, which has been in place for decades. "That would be a disaster, and I hope to God the public also agrees on this," Chopp said.

►  In today's News Tribune -- Rep. Adam Smith to chair key House committee -- Rep. Adam Smith has been tapped to chair a House subcommittee that has jurisdiction over nearly all Army and Air Force acquisition programs. That includes the $35 billion contract for new refueling tankers that Boeing is competing for.

►  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Bainbridge taking second look at furlough agreement with city workers -- A City Council proposal to renege on part of a recently-renewed furlough agreement has been met with strong resistance from city employees’ union (IAM).

►  In today's Kitsap Sun -- Advice on PSNS career fair from two who got jobs there -- Last year, a crawling economy brought record number of people seeking one of the 700 openings available at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Come prepared to this year's event Friday and Saturday.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- This time it's easier to hire for the census -- Clerks make $13.25 an hour. Census takers who will work out of their homes will be paid $17.50 plus mileage. The local director has already hired much of his basic staff of 75 people who will work full time.

►  In today's NY Times -- The court's blow to democracy (editorial) -- With a single, disastrous 5-to-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century. Disingenuously waving the flag of the First Amendment, the court’s conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding. Congress must act quickly to limit the damage of the court’s decision to lift the ban on corporate spending on political campaigns and elections.

►  In today's NY Times -- Lobbyists get potent weapon in campaign finance ruling -- A lobbyist can now tell any elected official that if you vote wrong, my company, labor union or interest group will spend unlimited sums explicitly advertising against your re-election.

(In case you're wondering whether this ruling could be good news for unions, according to opensecrets.org, business interests already outspend labor 25-to-1 on political activities. Big Business has far, far more money to spend on elections than unions do.)

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Court decision unlikely to affect state races -- Washington is one of 26 states that impose no limits on how much corporations can independently spend on electioneering on behalf of a candidate running for state office. But the ruling could prove consequential for this year's midterm election in November, when Sen. Patty Murray's office and all nine Washington seats in the U.S. House are up for grabs.

Health care reform news:

►  From AP -- Paring back health care bill not so easy -- A complete ban on insurance companies denying coverage to people with medical problems would be out of the question. Forget about guaranteed health insurance for all Americans -- it costs too much. Still, Congress might be able to craft legislation that takes some rough edges off today's coverage problems and makes progress in controlling costs. That's if Democrats and Republicans can call a truce.

►  In today's NY Times -- A new search for consensus on health care bill -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi affirms her commitment to pass far-reaching legislation this year, but members of Congress and health experts begin to deal with the reality that a smaller bill would have a better chance.

►  In the Wenatchee World -- State Insurance Commissioner paints grim picture -- Mike Kreidler says the health-care system is broken, and without reforms, people in Washington will continue to see the cost of insurance go up, and more people who can’t afford it.

Other national news:

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- The working class has spoken, will Democrats listen? -- Massachusetts voters sent a strong signal to Washington lawmakers Tuesday that they want results -- and aren’t seeing any. Not on health care reform, not on job creation and not on fixing the nation’s economy. Voters also sent another powerful message for Democrats: Ignore the working class at your peril. Some 79% of voters polled on election night said the most important issue for them was electing a candidate who will strengthen the economy and create more jobs. Controlling health care costs was next on their list, with 54% citing that issue as the main determinant of their voters.

►  From AP -- States' unemployment data show frustrated job seekers -- Frustrated by the harshest job market in the country, 31,000 unemployed Michigan residents stopped looking for work last month. So did thousands in Oregon, Massachusetts and West Virginia. Layoffs struck government workers in Washington and New Jersey. Retail hiring fell in Missouri, Minnesota and Massachusetts. Such trends have emerged in a dozen states' employment data in advance of a federal report Friday on state joblessness.

►  In today's NY Times -- Taking a populist stance, Obama takes on banks -- The tough approach to financial regulation that President Obama has outlined reflects a changed political climate, the rebound in big banks’ fortunes after their taxpayer bailout and a shift in power within the administration away from those who had been seen as most sympathetic to Wall Street.

►  At AFL-CIO Now -- Honor fallen workers with brick at National Labor College --  Construction of the National Workers Memorial to honor individuals killed on the job is under way. Get a brick or other remembrance engraved and installed at the campus in Silver Spring, Md., campus.