Lynn Hume

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is making grants and low-cost loans available for the improvement or development of rural water and wastewater infrastructure projects to comply with a congressional mandate.

The Public Employee Pension Transparency Act (HR 6290) would prohibit states and localities from issuing tax-exempt bonds unless they file annual reports on their public pension systems to the U.S. Treasury Department.

The resource document the MSRB released Thursday is designed to help dealers comply with rule changes on markup disclosures to retail investors that took effect on May 14.

Rep. Bill Shuster's infrastructure discussion draft would temporarily raise federal fuels taxes for the ailing Highway Trust Fund while a newly created commission would determine how to ensure its long-term solvency.

The plan for a second tax reform bill is galvanizing municipal market groups to step up lobbying efforts to tout the importance and benefits of munis to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., suggested he and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., may introduce a bill that would require MSRB to elect public members who represent consumers and are not just retired industry executives.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board named Gary Hall as its next chair and Edward Sisk to become vice chair. It also temporarily cut fees to reduce excess reserves by $2.6 million.

MSRB is seeking comments on a revised set of potential draft amendments to its rules on primary offering practices and related disclosures that it says would benefit the market for relatively limited costs to participants.

George Callas most recently was senior tax counsel to House Speaker Paul Ryan and was a chief architect of the tax reform legislation enacted in December.

Changes the Federal Reserve Board made in 2016 to its Liquidity Coverage Ratio rules would treat munis more restrictively than other, similar Level 2B high quality liquid assets.

An SEC advisory committee heard critics say the muni market is lacking in pre-trade price transparency and that hurts retail investors. But industry officials said MSRB rules have vastly improved muni market transparency.

Three Republican senators have introduced legislation that would slash federal spending for transportation and federal fuels taxes and put more responsibility on states for transportation infrastructure and all mass transit projects.

Bradley Wendt, a former investment banker with extensive experience in municipal bonds, interest rate swaps, and other fixed income products, joins Treasury's Office of Domestic Finance.

Malachi Financial Products Inc. and its principal were charged with violating their fiduciary duty to a city in Mississippi, overcharging the city, and failing to disclose payments received from the underwriter.

Emrich is a longtime credit and bond analyst in the municipal securities market.

The proposed rules would clarify that an institutional investor could take part in a public-private partnership for a bond-financed project without making the bonds taxable.

Two town officials also received civil penalties totaling $35,000 and were ordered to resign and be temporarily barred from employment with Ramapo, N.Y.

Senate and House Appropriations Committees appropriate more funds for certain transportation and housing programs after the president sought cuts to or elimination of the programs.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman is reportedly crafting infrastructure legislation that could be introduced as soon as this summer.

Elad Roisman's main expertise is in equities, corporate debt, mergers, market structure and derivatives.