News and Information from Bond Buyer

The Kansas House Transportation and Public Safety Budget Committee has removed Gov. Sam Brownback's budget-balancing proposal to transfer $280 million from the Kansas Department of Transportation to the general fund.

Tender rates for the Treasury Department's latest 91-day and 182-day discount bills were lower, as the three-months incurred a 0.015% high rate, down from 0.020% the prior week, and the six-months incurred an 0.065% high rate, off from 0.085% the week before.

As falling oil prices threaten the economy of Texas' so-called "chemical coast," Port Arthur Independent School District will take advantage of the state's triple-A guarantee with $80 million of bonds. The district will also issue $20 million of refunding bonds not backed by the PSF.

The Conroe Industrial Development Corporation in Texas has requested a settlement under the Internal Revenue Service's voluntary closing agreement program to resolve a tax violation relating to bonds it issued in 2008 and 2012.

The Treasury Department said Tuesday it will sell $40 billion of four-week discount bills Wednesday.

The January default by a well-off Indiana school district, though quickly cured, reveals problems with the state funding formula and investors' reliance on state school enhancement programs, market participants say.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it raised its underlying rating on Lincoln Park City School District, Mich.'s general obligation bonds to A-minus from BBB-plus.

Builders' confidence in the market for new single-family homes fell as the National Association of Home Builders' housing market index — a monthly gauge of builder sentiment — slipped to 55 in February from 57 in January.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Empire State Manufacturing Jan.: 9.95 Feb.: 9.00 Feb.: 7.78 NAHB Housing Index Jan.: 57 Feb.: 58 Feb.: 55

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it lowered its underlying rating on Mon Valley Sewage Authority, Pa.'s sewer revenue debt one notch to A-minus from A.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey showed "business activity continued to expand at a modest pace for New York manufacturers," the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported Tuesday, as the general business conditions index slipped to 7.78 in February from 9.95 in January.

Tuesday, February 17 Issuer St Description Amount

Tuesday, February 17 Issuer St Description Amount

Week Of February 17 Issuer St Description Amount

CALIFORNIA

ALABAMA

Day Indicator Last Report Forecast Tuesday Empire State Manufacturing Jan.: 9.95 Feb.: 9.00 Tuesday NAHB Housing Index Jan.: 57 Feb.: 58 Wednesday Housing Starts Dec.: 1.089M Jan.: 1.070M Wednesday Building Permits Dec.: 1.032M Jan.: 1.070M Wednesday PPI Dec.: -0.3% Jan.: -0.4% Wednesday PPI Core Dec.: +0.3% Jan.: +0.1% Wednesday Industrial Production Dec.: -0.1% Jan.: +0.3% Wednesday Capacity Utilization Dec.: 79.7 Jan.: 79.9 Thursday Initial Jobless Claims 2/7: 304,000 2/14: 292,000 Thursday Continuing Claims 1/31: 2.354M 2/7: 2.374M Thursday Leading Indicators Dec.: +0.5% Jan.: +0.3% Thursday Philly Fed Manufacturing Jan.: 6.3 Feb.: 10.0

Feb. 17, 2015 Southwest: Plain/Insured GO Yield Curve* State Ratings One-Year Five-Year 10-Year 30-Year Arizona Aa3/AA+/NR 0.19 1.27 2.34 3.18 Arkansas Aa1/AA/NR 0.14 1.15 2.13 2.95 Colorado Aa1/AA/NR 0.15 1.2 2.22 3.08 Kansas Aa1/AA+/NR 0.14 1.2 2.21 3.04 New Mexico Aaa/AA+/NR 0.14 1.17 2.17 3.01 Oklahoma Aa2/AA+/AA+ 0.15 1.22 2.24 3.08 Texas Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.15 1.17 2.17 2.99 Utah Aaa/AAA/AAA 0.14 1.11 2.04 2.86

2/16/2015 2/9/2015 State Amount ($000s) Iss Amount ($000s) Chg in Amt ($000s) Arizona 4 $314,410 3 $58,765 $255,645 Arkansas 2 26,170 2 5,200 20,970 Colorado 0 0 3 83,105 -83,105 Kansas 5 38,151 4 25,475 12,676 New Mexico 8 291,846 3 157,000 134,846 Oklahoma 10 90,325 14 121,380 -31,055 Texas 40 1,424,958 30 450,350 974,608 Utah 5 114,025 4 93,985 20,040

A long-running debate over how to cure Jacksonville's $1.62 billion police and fire pension liability has sparked a call for an audit and state investigation into the finances of Florida's largest city.