Municipalities looking to tap into federal infrastructure funding need existing matching funds while also reckoning with the administration’s emphasis on equity, and this latter point emerged as a clear priority from the Department of Transportation officials during presentations at the National League of Cities’ Congressional City Conference Monday in Washington, D.C. “Something that’s near and
Bonds
A bill to direct state investments away from financial services providers determined to be “discriminating” against the fossil fuel, firearm, or ammunition industries won final passage Monday in the Arkansas Legislature after concerns abated over the impact it could have on state retirement funds. The measure, which now heads to Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders,
The Illinois Finance Authority, in its role as the state’s climate bank, is ramping up efforts to establish new financing options for green initiatives with a slate of federal funding applications in the works aimed at moving the state toward clean energy, climate, and equity goals. The 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act package, negotiated
Cities attempting to land federal dollars for infrastructure projects got some pointers from the U.S. Department of Transportation at the National League of Cities’ Congressional Conference in Washington D.C. Monday, including the need to have their own upfront funding, which could come from bond proceeds. DOT kicked things off by warning against applying for funds
More than a year after Congress took the rare step of extending a popular infrastructure financing tool into two new markets, no cities or states have tapped the tools. There’s a mix of factors to blame, market participants said. Legislative ambiguity has made bond counsel tentative about confirming the federal interest will be tax-exempt. One
Experts are confounded by Puerto Rico bankruptcy Judge Laura Taylor Swain’s debtor-centric interpretation of the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act. The Puerto Rico Oversight Board’s latest proposed Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority plan of adjustment would give bondholders a payout as little as 0.21%, and a ruling Swain made last week could
South Carolina’s embattled comptroller announced he will resign next month, after state investigators held him responsible for a multi-billion dollar accounting error. Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, who’s held the position for the last 20 years and was unopposed in last year’s election, said in a letter of resignation Thursday he wanted to give legislators time
Municipals were steady to start the week, while U.S. Treasuries sold off and equities ended mixed. The two-year muni-UST ratio was at 60%, the three-year at 61%, the five-year at 62%, the 10-year at 65% and the 30-year at 89%, according to Refinitiv MMD’s 3 p.m. ET read. ICE Data Services had the two-year at
Bancroft Capital has hired Dana Villanova as director of municipals, the firm announced on Monday. Villanova, who will be working remotely from Hawaii, will help expand Bancroft’s engagement with issuers, financial advisors and its underwriting partners, with a focus on the West Coast. She will also use her background in bond insurance and green bond verification to
The Irvine City Council is slated to vote Tuesday night on the issuance of $455 million in dirt bonds to further develop Orange County, California’s Great Park. Plagued by accusations of cronyism and improper management, the park located at the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, hasn’t lived up to its
The municipal market is a safe haven with stronger fundamentals and higher quality than the corporate market, as well as buying opportunities, according to Jennifer Johnston, director of research in the municipal bond group at Franklin Templeton. “We have significantly lower default rates and the ratings of the muni indices are even stronger when compared
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposal to clamp down on conflicts of interest connected with the sale of asset- backed securities and certain other securitization transactions, as required by Dodd-Frank, should exempt municipal bonds as the proposal is unnecessarily broad and may negatively affect underwriters involved in certain transactions. The proposed rule as part of
To bolster its infrastructure and higher education divisions, Siebert Williams Shank & Co. has hired Marvin Markus and Mark Liff as managing directors, the firm announced Monday. Markus and Liff are municipal financial industry veterans with decades of experience between them. “With the addition of Marvin Markus and Mark Liff, our firm is adding two senior
The Texas Senate last week passed what one lawmaker called “off-the-charts, historical, record, unprecedented property tax relief.” At $16.5 billion over the upcoming biennium, State Sen. Paul Bettencourt’s string of superlatives for the tax cut package appears to be justified. Cheered on by Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who heads the Senate, the measures sailed
Denver International Airport CEO Phillip Washington has withdrawn from consideration as President Biden’s pick to head the Federal Aviation Committee amid Republican opposition. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed Washington’s withdrawal in a tweet Saturday night. “The FAA needs a confirmed administrator, and Phil Washington’s transportation & military experience made him an excellent nominee,” Buttigieg said.
Municipals finished out a nerve-wracking week on a strong note, with yields falling by as much as nine basis points on the short end while U.S. Treasuries strengthened and equities came under pressure. As holders of bank stocks headed for the exits and muni investors looked on nervously from the sidelines as the Federal Open
Lawmakers in Maine hoping to avoid a government shutdown at the turn of the fiscal year are working to cleave Gov. Janet Mills’ $10.3 billion biennial budget proposal in two. The state Senate’s Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee announced on Thursday a plan to partition the governor’s proposal for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 into
A Texas House committee ditched an appropriation to potentially pay off $3.52 billion of recently issued bonds from a natural gas securitization deal, but left open the possibility for the funding’s return. Thursday’s action by the House Appropriations Committee approving its version of a supplemental appropriations bill without the funding came the same day the
Moody’s Investors Service raised the outlook on Guam to positive from stable on Thursday. The outlook is on the Ba1 rating of the territory’s general obligation, special tax rating, and the Ba2 rating on its certificates of participation rating, all of which were affirmed. The improved outlook stems from Guam’s improved financial position resulting from
New York officials are looking with caution as the fallout from the Signature and Silicon Valley Bank failures casts a pall over budget negotiations. Both the city and the state are working on their fiscal 2024 budgets. The state’s fiscal year begins April 1 while the city’s starts on July 1. Amid rising inflation and
Wisconsin’s Republican legislative majority delivered its latest rebuke to Gov. Tony Evers’ biennial spending plan with their rejection of the Democrat’s $3.8 billion capital plan. The State Building Commission — which includes Evers, four Republican members, two Democrats, and a citizen voting member — rejected all of Evers’ line items at its meeting Thursday in