Economy

Louisiana will set up a 10-member task force and a five-member advisory council to study a proposal to remove the tolls from two bridges over the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans.

DALLAS — The Oklahoma Supreme Court declined Monday to hear arguments in a lawsuit contending that the use of $101.7 million of highway tax revenues to balance the state’s fiscal 2012 budget was unconstitutional.

St. Louis saw strong demand among institutional buyers for its $30 million refunding last week of Lambert-St. Louis International Airport revenue bonds and achieved 4.6% in net present-value savings, city Comptroller Darlene Green said.

Gov. Mitch Daniels Wednesday will tour three Indiana cities to mark the five-year anniversary of Major Moves, the largest infrastructure program in the state's history, which was financed in part with the $3.8 billion Indiana Toll Road lease.

The newly merged Central DuPage Health-Delnor Health System last week announced the appointment of Brett Tande to be its vice president and treasurer. He left the private sector where he was a health care banker to join the new system this past spring.

DALLAS — With a $1 billion renovation of George Bush Intercontinental Airport in the works, the Houston Airport System will seek interest-rate savings in a $424 million refunding deal expected to price in mid-July.

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco International Airport will sell $323 million of debt this week to refund outstanding revenue bonds in a revival of a deal it had shelved last year.

Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport will see $200 million of new facilities under a facilities proposal approved last week after a nine-month hiatus.

An end to truckers' support for an ­increase in Arkansas' diesel tax to support $1.1 billion of road bonds could mean a tax increase for trucking companies.

Puerto Rico will issue its first new-money general obligation bond sale in nearly three years, a $304 million offering that will help finance transportation infrastructure upgrades.

The Regional Transportation Authority of Illinois will take competitive bids Tuesday on $100 million of general obligation refunding bonds and in a separate transaction will further tap its commercial paper program as it awaits nearly $400 million in overdue state aid payments.

Moody's Investors Service last week downgraded $1.1 billion of Catholic Health East debt to A2 from A1 due to cash-flow margins that fall below similar A-rated health care credits.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie Monday is set to sign into law legislation that requires government employees to pay more for pension and health care benefits.

The Las Vegas Monorail has been given court permission to send its bankruptcy-exit plan to creditors for a vote.

CHICAGO - Standard & Poor's revised its outlook to negative from stable on a small Michigan hospital that is facing the possibility of accelerated debt-service payments on its debt, all of which has been either privately placed with a bank or is in the form a bank loan.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced Wednesday that it has tapped a new leader after a difficult selection process and during a time of controversy about the second phase of its Metrorail extension project.

DALLAS - Texas Gov. Rick Perry has signed legislation designed to help commuter rail districts raise money across jurisdictional lines for bond-funded projects.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said Monday the state should stick with the current plan to build a $1.2 billion, 424-bed hospital in the city. Construction financing for the University Medical Center includes $407 million of hospital revenue bonds.

Standard & Poor's on Monday revised its rating outlook to negative from stable and affirmed its BBB-plus rating on $5.7 million of Series 2002B bonds issued on behalf of Martin Memorial Medical Center.

New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Wednesday will remarket $347.7 million of dedicated tax fund variable-rate refunding bonds originally sold in 2008.