Far West

When Congress returns to Washington in September, members will have to address a number of important fiscal issues in a short amount of time.

Diane Stanton began work Monday as executive director of the California Health Facilities Financing Authority, a conduit issuer for the state's non-profit hospitals, according to the treasurer's office.

Colorado may have to cut highway funding so it can issue tax refunds triggered by the state's TABOR law.

A Billings, Mont., school district's general obligation school building bond rating was affirmed at Aa3 by Moody's Investors Service ahead of a $32.9 million sale on Sept. 15.

Ongoing cuts to Build America Bond subsidies are "credit negative" for issuers, Moody's Investors Service said in its weekly credit outlook for U.S. public finance last week.

San Jose, Calif.’s pension settlement with the city’s police and firefighters is evidence that reducing pension liabilities will be challenging for local governments, Fitch Ratings said in a commentary.

California general obligation bonds were trading like double-A credits ahead of the state’s planned $1.9 billion GO sale, according to the Municipal Market Data scale.

Standard & Poor's affirmed its AAA rating of California Department of Water Resources water system revenue bonds for the Central Valley Project ahead of a $109 million deal it expects to price Aug. 25.

A high-profile San Francisco Bay Area business advocate, the Bay Area Council's Jim Wunderman, says a sales tax should be used to help meet California's massive unfunded transportation needs.

Senate's multiyear transportation funding bill loosens restrictions on tolling of existing lanes of interstate highways.