Texas

Opponents of Oklahoma Turnpike extensions are calling for limits on the agency's ability to issue bonds and raise tolls.

A larger new-issue slate led by large deals from the Texas Water Development Board and state of Illinois took focus away from the secondary.

S&P upgraded the bonds to AA-plus and Fitch revised the outlook on the AA-rated debt to positive from stable.

Several Texas school districts, including Austin's, have put bond issues on the Nov. 8 ballot with some of the proceeds earmarked to fund security measures.

With Texas reporting a double-digit revenue increase in fiscal 2022 and projecting a record budget surplus, Gov. Greg Abbott wants a large property tax cut.

Tollway revenue in the first half of 2022 surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels in five of the months.

Some Texas lawmakers are pushing legislation that could ensnare muni investment banks offering company funded access to out-of-state abortions for employees.

UBS was the only municipal bond underwriter included on the Texas comptroller's list of 10 financial companies determined to be boycotting energy businesses.

UBS' placement on the Texas comptroller's list of fossil fuel industry "boycotters" could jeopardize its role in a natural gas utility securitization bond sale.

The Texas Permanent School Fund's bond guarantee program, capped at $117.32 billion under federal law, reported projected available capacity was only about $3.9 billion as of June 30.

Kansas Gas Service is the third division of Tulsa-based ONE Gas, Inc., to participate in a state-sanctioned securitization related to Winter Storm Uri.

Fitch is bulking up its public finance group with the addition of six municipal bond analysts for its offices in San Francisco, New York and Austin.

Ramirez & Co. and Cabrera Capital Markets, LLC — two Hispanic MWBE firms — are joint bookrunners for the deal, part of Dallas County's sustained push to "maximize professional diversity on the issuance," officials said.

Bond issuance in the Southwest region was down 10.1% to $40.8 billion from January through June compared to the same period in 2021.

Dallas would issue about $1.8 billion of revenue bonds starting next year for the convention center project.

The controversial Chapter 313 program's property tax breaks will not be offered after Dec. 31, 2022.

Several states are holding sales tax holidays for school supplies and other items amid strong revenue collections, although critics say they will do little to ease the impact of high inflation.

As the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, Dallas, Fort Worth and Austin are moving ahead with expansions of their convention centers.

A heat wave blasting Texas and other states is unlikely to lead to days-long blackouts as 2021's Winter Storm Uri did, the rating agency said.

The lack of a TRANs deal will put off a test of how competitive bidding for the debt may be impacted by the state’s pro-firearm and fossil fuel policies that have sidelined a few big underwriting firms.