Economy

CHICAGO — The Michigan House is expected to vote Tuesday on a bill that would advance a controversial $2 billion bond-funded bridge spanning the busy Detroit-Canada trade route.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Miami-Dade County commissioners on Tuesday said they stand ready to take over the Jackson Health System should the current board overseeing South Florida’s largest public hospital fail to rectify the financial crisis it now faces.

The Atlanta BeltLine project last week was selected as the Best 2009 Bond Deal at the Council of Development Finance Agencies’ 2010 Annual Development Finance Summit in Portland, Ore.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum Friday amended the federal lawsuit he filed challenging the constitutionality of the new health care law to add seven new states, including Georgia and Mississippi, the National Federation of Independent Business, and two individuals.

The Cincinnati City Council last week passed a measure to issue up to $64 million in bonds to advance a long-planned $128 million project to build a streetcar.

Chicago is advancing measures to help finance the next phase of its $8 billion runway expansion at O’Hare International Airport.

Transportation stakeholders are opposed to a provision in a draft climate-change bill introduced in the Senate that would generate more revenue based on emissions from the sector than would be re-invested in infrastructure or transportation projects.

DALLAS — Denver’s latest plan to build a long-delayed hotel at Denver International Airport would use revenue bonds to finance construction of the facility atop a planned commuter rail line at the south end of the landmark Jeppesen Terminal.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — California’s Bay Area Toll Authority will hit the market next month with a hefty Build America Bond deal.

BRADENTON, Fla. — After years of study and indecision, Hillsborough County, Fla., officials have agreed to place on November’s ballot a proposal to increase the sales tax by 1% to fund long-term mass transit projects, including light rail.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation this week will price $893.8 million of fixed-rate senior revenue bonds to refinance Metropolitan Highway System debt it took on from the former Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, followed by a $207.6 million variable-rate senior debt sale.

CHICAGO — Provisions in the new federal health care law that aim to change the way hospitals are paid for their services could pose risks to nonprofit providers, Standard & Poor’s said in a report released yesterday.

New York’s cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority announced yesterday that a reorganization of its bridge and tunnel maintenance operations would save $25 million annually.

Ambac Assurance Corp. will appeal a Nevada bankruptcy judge’s ruling that the Las Vegas Monorail Co. was entitled to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 11.

WASHINGTON — State and local officials yesterday urged members of a House Ways and Means Committee panel to create and capitalize a national infrastructure bank, but neither they nor the lawmakers could agree on how to finance or structure the bank.

WASHINGTON — The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has temporarily suspended a $650 million deal for its Metrorail extension project, citing market volatility. However, the delay will not affect construction, authority officials said.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is pioneering a unique type of public-private partnership to replace the aging Goethals Bridge.

CHICAGO — While Illinois lawmakers temporarily adjourned last week without passing a fiscal 2011 budget, they did approve legislation establishing a commission that will lead the initial planning effort for a regional high-speed rail system.

House Speaker Jim Tucker, R-Terrytown, said Monday that Louisiana must exercise better control of state employee retirement systems that threaten funding for important services and programs.

WASHINGTON — Congressional appropriators will be hard-pressed to provide more funding for high-speed rail for fiscal 2011 unless there is clear evidence that the $10.5 billion lawmakers approved for the sector has been used by state and local governments, a congressional staffer said yesterday at a rail industry meeting here.