The Republican-led Senate, which has made pro-business bills a priority this year, on Tuesday voted to make compliance with the state's controversial workplace-ergonomics rules VOLUNTARY, essentially leaving the rules toothless. Businesses have been battling the rules, saying that adjustable cash registers, tables, special lifts and other changes would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to comply. But the bill, SB 5161, faces much tougher going in the Democrat-led House of Representatives. And that's going to be the story of a lot of bills this year -- passing one house amid much partisan fanfare, only to be whittled down or to quietly die in the other chamber.
Short takes and breaking news from the Washington Legislature and the state capital.
