Far West

The House Appropriations Committee has unveiled a fiscal year 2015 bill that would fund the Securities and Exchange Commission at $1.4 billion - $50 million above the fiscal year 2014 level and $300 million below President Obama's budget request.

The California legislature approved a budget ahead of the constitutional deadline for the fourth year in a row.

Rating agencies and others said that draft standards, which among other things urge states and local governments to disclose their net or total other post-employment benefit liabilities on the face of their financial statements, would be helpful and provide more transparency.

Maui County secured Double-A ratings on Friday from two rating agencies and a stable outlook ahead of plans to sell $75.5 million in GO bonds competitively on June 25.

Moody's Investors Service deemed a California Superior Court judge's ruling that existing teacher tenure and seniority laws are unconstitutional a credit positive.

Foreign equity investment interest in U.S. public-private partnerships at all-time level, a House P3 panel was told.

Seattle is planning to sell $146 million of revenue bonds on Tuesday to fund improvements to its wastewater system and refund outstanding bonds.

The Internal Revenue Service has determined in an audit that general obligation bonds issued in 2007 and 2009 by the Sierra Kings Health Care District in California are private-activity bonds and not tax-exempt governmental bonds.

As state and local governments make efforts to prepare for climate change, credit analysts are watching closely to see how impacts from weather-related events might affect credit quality.

In the expensive aftermath of recent natural disasters, some local governments are working to mitigate the impacts of weather-related events that could occur in the future.