Bonds

Texas State Sen. Brandon Creighton said Senate Bill 2 would provide nearly 100,000 students with education savings accounts, which would result in the largest “school choice” program launch in the nation. Texas Senate Texas lawmakers on Tuesday kicked off their latest quest for school vouchers with the passage of a universal program by a Senate

“The outlook revision reflects our view of the heightened potential for future costs, liabilities, and potential litigation that these utilities face in light of the recent Los Angeles County wildfires,” S&P GloBloomberg News Two power utilities in Los Angeles County received negative rating outlooks as the fallout from the region’s January wildfires continues. S&P Global

Marcelo Vieira, MSRB’s senior director, research and market transparency. Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Chair Warren “Bo” Daniels urged issuers to provide feedback as the MSRB conducts beta testing for the newly redesigned Electronic Municipal Market Access (EMMA) website that it plans to launch by the end of this year.  Issuers “are super important to us,”

A judge imposed a temporary stay on the Trump administration’s directive to pause all federal funding just minutes before the pause was set to take effect. A federal judge in the District of Columbia Tuesday blocked for a few days the Trump administration’s order late Monday to freeze the disbursement of federal funds that stunned

Ramirez promoted Patty McGrorry to head of underwriting and Lorry Palacios to co-head of public finance. Ramirez & Co. promoted two investment bankers to senior management. Patty McGrorry, managing director, was promoted to head of underwriting. Lorry Palacios, senior managing director, was promoted to co-head of public finance. The two have worked at Ramirez for

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s $887 million state bonding plan includes $10 million for removal of the Rapidan Dam after its partial failure in 2024.Office of Gov. Tim Walz Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong have both proposed hundreds of millions in bonding as the Midwest’s governors begin rolling out state budget

<img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/21361104/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> Municipals were steady Tuesday ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting as U.S. Treasury yields were little changed and equities ended up. This year may see higher levels of volatility due to the uncertainty about forthcoming policies from President Donald Trump’s administration, said BlackRock strategists. “An emphasis on

The Office of Budget and Management has ordered federal agencies to pause the disbursement of federal funds while it determines whether the funding compliance with a raft of executive orders signed by President Donald Trump. Al Drago/Bloomberg The White House Tuesday sought to mollify concerns and confusion about a Monday night memo that appeared to

Sean Duffy, former Republican Representative from Wisconsin and Fox News host, easily won Senate confirmation as the next US secretary of the transportation. Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg The Senate Tuesday confirmed Sean Duffy, former U.S. Republican Representative from Wisconsin and Fox News host, as head of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Duffy was confirmed by a vote

Emily Brock, director of the federal liaison office of the GFOA.    Donna Alberico The municipal market’s advocates are responding to the threat of canceling the tax exempt status off municipal bonds with a multi-pronged approach that includes Capitol Hill visits and a letter sent to both houses of Congress by the Government Finance Officers Association.   “Elimination of the

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe retained its first-place ranking as the top bond counsel. The top 10 saw some movements in 2024, with Greenberg Traurig and Chapman and Culter entering the top 10, while Gilmore & Bell and Bracewell were bumped to the

“I believe our nation’s highest court will agree that denying St. Isidore’s charter based solely on its religious affiliation is flat-out unconstitutional,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said.Oklahoma Governor’s Office The fate of the nation’s first state-funded religious charter school is now in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court. The high court on Friday agreed

PFM’s newly minted managing directors, Hope Scarpinato and Gregory Butler.PFM PFM has promoted two employees to more senior roles.  Margaret “Hope” Scarpinato and Gregory C. Butler have been promoted to managing directors. Both have worked at PFM for more than a decade.  The new positions, effective Jan. 1, are part of the firm’s annual promotion

Oklahoma Turnpike Authority Executive Director Joe Echelle said meetings will be held in February with sponsors of bills that seek legislative approval for toll hikes, a cap on outstanding bonds, and other matters.Oklahoma Turnpike Authority The Oklahoma Turnpike Authority will head to market this week with its biggest-ever revenue bond sale to continue financing a

The Iredell County Commission approved bonds totaling $124 million. The Iredell County, North Carolina, Commission approved $124 million of general obligation and limited obligation bonds, with proceeds used to build a high school, but the bonds still need approval from the state. The commission by a 5-0 vote agreed to sell GOs — expected to

Dave Sanchez, director of the Office of Municipal Securities at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.Donna Aberico Unregistered municipal advisory activity in the public-private partnership space as well as insufficient oversight by state and local governments of joint powers authorities they create are persistent concerns for the Securities and Exchange Commission, the director of the

“There are a lot of moving parts here with the potential to either help or hinder the Fed’s quest for price stability and maximum employment,” said BMO Deputy Chief Economist Michael Gregory. The Federal Open Market Committee will keep rates in a range between 4.25% and 4.50% at its January meeting, analysts agree, with political

<img src=”https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/21344305/thumbnail” width=”100%” alt=”chart visualization” /> A new artificial intelligence model from Chinese firm DeepSeek led to a selloff in tech stocks, which, in turn, scared the broader market. In response, investors flocked to safe haven assets like municipal bonds and U.S. Treasuries. Muni yields fell five to seven basis points, depending on the scale,

“The assumption that FEMA is there protects every credit,” said Sarah Sullivant from S&P Global Ratings.S&P Global Ratings President Donald Trump signed an executive order Sunday establishing a task force to evaluate the Federal Emergency Management Agency as he floated the idea of abolishing a department that many in the municipal bond market consider key to

“It is my expectation that we handle this structural deficit this year. No gimmicks. No Hail Mary passes,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said.San Diego Mayor’s Office San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria stirred up controversy with an impassioned state of the city speech in which he told residents the county needs to step up efforts

Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. 2024 was a dynamic year for talent in the public finance industry, as the earlier departure of Citi and UBS from the municipal finance industry helped Raymond James, Morgan Stanley and HilltopSecurities strengthen their ranks. As 2025 kicks off with a few