Boeing news:

►  In today's Seattle Times -- Albaugh: Boeing's first preference" is to build planes here -- Jim Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said that even though the company is creating a new 787 assembly line in South Carolina, Washington state is his preferred location for building future airplanes. But he attached a condition: The Puget Sound region will be favored only if the Machinists union moderates its future wage demands and avoids strikes.

OUTSOURCING: Albaugh also said Boeing will outsource less work in future and strongly hints that Boeing will never again outsource the wings of an airplane, as it did the 787 wings to Mitsubishi of Japan. He said Boeing needs to restore the corporate culture that made its "iconic engineers" as influential as its business executives.

BUSINESS CLIMATE: He said Boeing didn't pick South Carolina for expansion last year because of Washington's tax rates or regulatory system. Nor was it a question of chasing low wages. "The overriding factor was not the business climate. And it was not the wages we are paying today," Albaugh said. "It was that we can't afford to have a work stoppage every three years. And we can't afford to continue the rate of escalation of wages."

Legislative news:

►  In today's Olympian -- House tax plan: $858 million, includes hit on lawyers -- It doesn't have a sales tax, a toxics tax (which now is more likely part of a capital budget or assistance for cities and counties) or as many closed tax exemptions as the Senate had. “We have to make balanced, reasoned choices about how we protect important investments in financial aid, education and children’s health care," says House Finance Committee Chairman Ross Hunter (D-Medina). "Those choices must be balanced against the impact on our economy when we make changes to our tax code.”

►  At BudgetAndPolicy.org -- Details on four budget proposals -- The Washington State Budget & Policy Center has posted tables with side-by-side comparisons between the four budget proposals -- the Governor's Book One and Book Two and the proposals passed by the House and Senate Ways & Means Committees on these categories: Health care access and affordability -- Care for people with long term health needs -- Economic security -- Support families and protect children -- High-quality education (P-12) 

►  In today's Spokesman-Review -- House enters tax plan fray -- “I can’t tell you I’ve got exactly 50 (votes) today,” says House Finance Committee Chairman Ross Hunter (D-Medina) as he presents the plan. Senate Democrats passed a spending plan with the bare minimum they needed -- 25 votes -- but don’t yet have that many votes for their tax plan.

►  In today's Seattle Times -- House Dems don't go for sales tax increase -- House Democrats on Monday proposed raising $758 million by ending certain exemptions and boosting taxes on items such as cigarettes, water, candy, gum and elective cosmetic surgery.

►  In today's (Everett) Herald -- The best of terrible choices (editorial) -- At least a general sales tax increase appears dead. In a session where tax increases were all but certain, the House’s plan best represents a fair, honest approach that carries minimal threat to the economy.

►  In today's Olympian -- Supporters of spouses chide Senate -- The Senate votes unanimously to expand benefits for the family left behind when a police officer or firefighter dies in the line of duty. But police and fire fighter advocates are angry that the Senate left unchanged a restriction that forces widows and widowers to give up their benefits if they find a new spouse. Normandy Park Police Chief Rick Kieffer says the cutoff “holds our spouses hostage. We are creating a generation of widows that can’t remarry.”

►  At SeattlePI.com -- UW group calls for students to "strike" -- Organizers are asking UW students to skip their classes Thursday afternoon as a "strike" against increased tuitions and upcoming state budget cuts for colleges. The strike is being organized by the UW Student Worker Coalition -- a group of university workers, students and community members.

►  In today's News Tribune -- Good reason to be wary of McNeil closure (editorial) -- State lawmakers should take a hard look at how much closing McNeil Island Corrections Center would actually save the state. South Sound legislators ought to also keep in mind what the closure could ultimately cost this community.

Health care news:

►  At Huffington Post -- House Democrats may switch health care votes -- Nine House Democrats, (including Washington's own Rep. Brian Baird) indicate in an AP survey that they have not ruled out switching their "no" votes to "yes" on President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, brightening the party's hopes in the face of unyielding Republican opposition.

►  In The New Republic -- Memo outlines possible Easter recess timeline -- A Democratic memo sketches out a timeline for passage of health care reform. The gist is pretty simple: The House takes up the Senate bill and passed it by March 19. A few days later it passes a reconciliation bill and sends it over to the Senate, which starts the voting process on March 26.

►  In today's NY Times -- Obama to highlight cost in health care push -- This week the president will begin a climactic push to rally restive Congressional Democrats to pass major health care legislation by hammering the argument that the costs of failure will be higher insurance premiums and lost coverage for individuals and businesses.