Southwest

DALLAS — The Kansas Senate’s Ways and Means Committee has endorsed the largest tax hike in state history, a $434 million package of measures aimed at easing a revenue shortfall that keeps getting worse.

DALLAS — The North Texas Tollway Authority plans to test the market’s appetite for a $400 million issue of its lowest-rated debt this week.

DALLAS — On the heels of a Fitch Ratings downgrade, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System plans to issue more than $1 billion of revenue bonds this week for operations in three states.

DALLAS — Colorado will begin its next fiscal year July 1 with a $20 billion budget patched together with federal stimulus money and the elimination of tax breaks to cover a $1.3 billion shortfall.

DALLAS — The fast-growing Northside Independent School District in San Antonio plans to devote a majority of the proceeds from a requested $535 million general obligation bond issue to projects at existing facilities for the first time in almost two decades.

DALLAS — With its credit rating at the lowest rung of investment grade, Colorado’s E-470 Public Highway Authority has received a negative outlook from Fitch Ratings due to falling toll traffic.

DALLAS — As one of 35 states that tapped federal interest-free loans to cover unemployment benefits, Texas expects to issue about $2 billion of bonds to begin repaying them next year, officials said.

DALLAS — Kansas lawmakers will consider a 10-year, $8.2 billion comprehensive transportation program that authorizes an estimated $1.7 billion of state highway revenue bonds when they reconvene today in Topeka to develop a budget for fiscal 2011.

DALLAS — Boycotts in the wake of Arizona’s tough new immigration law could add pressure to the state’s slumping economy and further weaken revenue streams for sports and tourism bonds, industry experts said.

DALLAS — Amid Arizona’s deep economic decline, ­Phoenix is considering shelving $250 million of capital improvement projects that would have been financed by general obligation bonds.