Bonds

The Securities and Exchange Commission to is under fire from lawmakers and the financial industry regarding the volume and scope of regulations raining down from the regulator under the leadership of Chairman Gary Gensler. “Chair Gensler’s frenetic partisan rulemaking agenda at the SEC has threatened the health of U.S. capital markets and highlights the need

The California Senate introduced a plan that would shrink the state’s deficit, but still leave a sizable gap. Calling it an early stab at the shortfall, Sen. Leader Mike McGuire, D-North Coast, and Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee Chair Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco unveiled a plan last week that cuts $17 billion through program

Private borrowers that issue tax-exempt bonds through Pennsylvania conduit issuers don’t need to follow the state’s prevailing wage requirements for public projects. That’s the final word from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, which in February decided a case that was filed in 2018 over bonds issued in 2016. Ursinus College issued bonds through a public authority

Hawaii Department of Transportation airport division revenue bond ratings and bonds issued by the state backed by car rental fees were upgraded by Fitch Ratings, which cited full recovery on enplanements. Fitch upgraded the airport’s $1.7 billion in revenue bonds to AA-minus from A-plus and $111.6 million in certificates of participation to A-plus from A

To toll, or not to toll, that is the question for Oregon lawmakers as they continue work on a comprehensive plan to create a sustainable revenue stream that will support the state’s transportation infrastructure. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek sowed confusion on Monday when she halted plans to toll Portland-area freeways, citing uncertainty about freeway project

IDEA Public Schools in Texas will operate under state oversight as part of a settlement agreement with the charter school network, which was the target of a probe since 2021 into alleged financial and operational improprieties. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) appointed two conservators to oversee and direct IDEA’s actions, facilitate a needs assessment, conduct

The Kansas Department of Transportation expects to head to the municipal market this summer with its first bond issue to help finance a $10 billion, statewide transportation improvement program.  The $200 million of bonds backed by state highway fund revenue will be sold in a negotiated deal for the 10-year Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, which

Seventeen years after Branson Airport issued bonds to fund the construction of an airport that opened in May 2009, it is again asking for forbearance from bondholders as it seeks federal funds for upgrades. Bond trustee UMB Bank last month filed notice to bondholders that the airport’s leaders want to pursue federal grant funding for

Private entities pitching Florida local governments on unsolicited public-private partnerships would face less competition and a smoother approval process under a bill that the Legislature passed and sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis last week. Senate Bill 781 would allow a local government to enter into an unsolicited proposal for a P3 without engaging in a

As the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act nears its midpoint, the massive uptick in discretionary grants for transportation infrastructure threatens to undermine the law’s effectiveness because of chronic delays and bureaucratic confusion. That’s what county and state representatives told lawmakers Thursday during a House Transportation & Infrastructure hearing on the rollout of the IIJA’s discretionary

West Virginia’s general revenue collections came in at $283.4 million in February, $30.62 million below the official estimate. February was the eighth month of fiscal 2024 and cumulative collections for the fiscal year of $3.581 billion so far are $428.1 million ahead of forecasts. “While February’s revenue came in slightly below our expectations, it’s important

Professional sports-hungry Utah is hoping to entice baseball and hockey to come to Salt Lake City with bills state lawmakers passed last week that authorize bond issuance for stadiums. House Bill 562 allows up to $900 million in financing to cover half the cost of a Major League Baseball stadium within a Fairpark Area Investment

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Thursday signed the state’s $37.5 billion amended fiscal 2024 budget, $5 billion more than the original plan passed last year. “I am proud to sign a budget that further invests in our priorities of public safety, education and workforce development, and strengthened infrastructure to keep Georgia the best state to

Global exports from Kentucky rose 16.6% year-over-year to a record high of $40.2 billion in 2023, as more products made in the Bluegrass State were shipped around the world. Aerospace products and parts led the state’s exports by category in 2023, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau, Foreign Trade Division and WISERTrade.

Hawaii lawmakers grilled the budget director Thursday as recovery costs for the Maui wildfire are coming in double expectations, putting the budget at risk. During a hearing before the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Budget Director Luis Salaveria was asked when Gov. Josh Green’s administration realized costs to temporarily house people displaced by the fire

A wave of tax cuts that states passed amid COVID-related surpluses may prove a financial problem for the medium and long term, analysts said Thursday. “The examination of states’ post-pandemic fiscal trajectories reveals a concerning trend: revenue growth has decelerated in many states and the implementation of permanent tax cuts could leave some with depleted

A bill that includes additional bonding authority for a University of Utah Health medical campus project hit with ballooning costs passed the legislature Wednesday.  A provision in Senate Bill 241 would increase the amount of revenue bonds for the West Valley Health and Community Center to $800 million from $400 million. The University of Utah

The Biden administration is expected to announce a $1.5 billion federal loan to repower a shuttered Michigan nuclear plant, marking a first for the U.S. as the administration’s seeks to move the country toward 100% carbon-free power in the coming decades. The Palisades power plant in southwest Michigan, owned now by Holtec International, was decommissioned

Norton Rose Fulbright hired public finance lawyers Alison Radecki as a partner and Helen Pennock as a senior counsel. Both will work in the firm’s New York City office and formerly worked at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. They are licensed to practice in New York. Radecki has more than two decades of experience helping issuers

Broker dealers are divided over whether small firms should be dealt more relaxed regulation and compliance standards, or be subject to uniform standards that treat large Wall Street banks and single person firms the same in the eyes of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board. The dueling sentiments came through in response to the MSRB’s request