Southwest

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.

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.