The Olympian's Brad Shannon has much more meat on the workers' comp battle we noted this morning, reporting that house Republicans may push the stalled bill—labor Democrats who run the house labor committee have ignored the bill for over a month—by threatening to vote 'No' on a $1.4 billion jobs bond proposal (which the GOP supported in committee) if the workers' comp bill doesn't pass.

Labor doesn't like the workers' comp bill because they argue it shortchanges payouts for injured workers. Proponents, it's passed the senate in March, argue that it will shore up the workers' comp fund.

Shannon writes:

The vote on House Bill 1348, which is the nearly $1.4 billion bond proposal, was 11-0. The House's $3.1 billion capital spending bill, known as HB 1497, also sailed through 11-0. The capital budget can pass on a simple majority or 50 percent plus one vote, but the bond bill requires 60 percent, which the 55-member House Democratic Caucus can't accomplish without at least four Republican votes.

Rep. Hans Dunshee, the committee's Democratic chairman says he's heard the bond measure will be taken hostage by the minority GOP to further the worker comp reforms that the Washington State Labor Council and allies strongly oppose.

"It's the No. 1 hostage," Dunshee said last week. He contended that children who need new schools that would be built with the bonds are also hostage and some of the expected 51,000 jobs to be created in the capital budget also are at risk.

House Republican Leader Richard DeBolt confirmed that his caucus might use the bonds as pressure if they cannot get action on Senate Bill 5566, which lets injured workers settle long-term disability claims for cash upfront.