As lawmakers prepare to pass budgets and end their work in Olympia next week, they also will debate changes made to the paid-family-leave proposal.

House Democrats tightened the leave program to pass it, eliminating provisions allowing people caring for sick parents to receive the money and leaving exactly how to pay for the benefits to a task force.

“We are going to be going to conference on this bill. … And we are going to try to find ways to make this work,” said Rep. Steve Conway, D-Tacoma.

The measure joins the ranks of other major bills that have cleared the House and the Senate, typically through the support of Democratic majorities in both chambers.

Those include a ban on talking on cell phones while driving, a ban on abstinence-only sex education in schools, new legal rights for same-sex couples, and new efforts to reduce gas emissions linked to global warming.

But several smaller measures also squeaked by the 5 p.m. deadline Friday, including Olympia Rep. Brendan Williams' measure making geoduck harvesters eligible for industrial insurance coverage.

A few major bills that died at the deadline are expected to win new life simply because they are needed to implement the Democrats' spending plans.

One of the biggest of those is Senate Bill 5070, which transforms the handling of prisoners by offering education and treatment services inside prison and additional help outside prison in an effort to keep offenders from returning to prison.

Similarly, a bid to authorize a King County financing package for a new arena for the Seattle SuperSonics in Renton could be revived if enough interest is shown in the proposal next week.

This is cache, read story here