Richard Williamson

Texas Health Resources, the operator of a Dallas hospital that received international news coverage for its handling of an Ebola case, goes to market with $360 million of bonds after a Moody's upgrade.

Kansas is seeking underwriters for a pension bond issue after Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill authorizing $1 billion of bonds for the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.

Standard & Poor's upgraded Brownsville to AA from AA-minus, citing the southernmost Texas city's strengthening economy and falling unemployment.

David D. Hart, former Denver Public Schools chief financial officer and senior vice president of D.A. Davidson, has joined Public Financial Management as an advisor, the company said.

Rice University took advantage of low interest rates in the taxable market with $700 million of triple-A taxable bonds, including $100 million for new money.

In the first competitive pricing of charter school bonds in Texas, Kipp Academy in Houston earned savings of nearly 13.5% on a $77 million issue backed by the Texas Permanent School Fund.

The Texas House has approved House Bill 9 by Rep. Dan Flynn, R-Canton, increasing state employees' contributions to the state retirement pension fund by 2%.

A House and Senate conference committee will reconcile differences in their budgets after the Senate approved a $211 billion spending plan that exceeds the House’s version by about $1.6 billion.

Lower pump prices are boosting fuel consumption and vehicle miles traveled, leading to higher gas tax collections, a trend Moody’s Investors Service expects to continue over the near-term.

With a Standard & Poor's upgrade to AA-plus on its subordinated debt, Phoenix is looking for significant savings with a $391 million refunding of revenue bonds that include taxable and tax-exempt issues.

As Texas lawmakers seek to reverse the state's growing debt, the Texas Public Finance Authority expects to lower the state's interest cost through a $218 million refunding of general obligation and revenue bonds.

The Texas Department of Transportation would no longer be allowed to issue bonds backed by the Texas Mobility Fund under legislation approved by the state House.

The Standard & Poor’s outlook on Lubbock Christian University’s BBB rating has shifted to negative amid falling enrollment and dependence on tuition.

The Texas House of Representatives has passed Rep. John Zerwas's House Bill 100 that allocates $3.1 billion of tuition revenue bonds for colleges and universities across the state. No TRBs have won legislative approval in nearly a decade.

Tax revenue from oil and gas production in Oklahoma has fallen to a 12-year low, according to the latest report from state Treasurer Ken Miller.

Texas sales tax revenues grew for the 60th straight month in March, but the 1.5% increase was the weakest in the past two years.

Declining state support and flat enrollment prompted Moody's Investors Service to cast a negative outlook on Kansas State University's upcoming sale of $61.7 million of revenue bonds rated Aa2.

With some maturities oversubscribed by a factor of five, the North Texas Tollway Authority recorded net present value savings of nearly $90 million or 10% on an $866.5 million refunding, according to chief financial officer Horatio Porter.

Texas voters would get the final say on a Rep. John Otto's resolution passed overwhelmingly in the state House of Representatives to reduce the state's $44 billion of debt using excess revenue from the rainy day fund.

Cheniere Energy's $12 billion liquefied natural gas export plant in Corpus Christi, Texas, appears the likeliest to obtain financing as others are cancelled, according to Moody's Investors Service.