Far West

WASHINGTON — The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to vote on proposed changes to its Rule 15c2-12 on municipal market disclosure at an open meeting May 26, according to a notice the SEC released Tuesday evening.

WASHINGTON — Maine is the first state or local government to obtain a credit opinion from the National Association of Insurance Commissioner’s Securities Valuation Office for a new issue of municipal bonds.

WASHINGTON — The Senate yesterday voted down an amendment to financial regulatory reform legislation that would have imposed a blanket prohibition on federal assistance to states and localities in financial trouble for reasons other than a natural ­disaster.

The Securities and Exchange Commission should clarify the responsibilities of elected issuer officials who approve or authorize primary offering documents and secondary market disclosures, the National Association of Bond Lawyers said this week.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has closed its audit of $161.3 million of variable-rate demand student housing revenue bonds issued by the Payne County, Okla., Economic Development Authority in 2002 with no change to the tax-exempt status of the debt.

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has correctly identified the scope of California’s $17.9 billion budget deficit, according to the state’s independent Legislative Analyst’s Office, which disagreed with some of his proposed solutions in a report released Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — Moody’s Investors Service has hired Walter Winrow to head its infrastructure finance group, replacing Tom Keller, who is now a senior managing director at the rating agency.

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia tomorrow expects to issue $32.9 million of qualified school construction bonds, now that a new law allows states and localities to issue certain tax-credit bonds as taxable, direct-pay subsidy bonds.

WASHINGTON — As the Senate moves toward finishing consideration of financial regulatory reform legislation this week, state treasurers are making last-minute efforts to change some of the bill’s muni-related derivatives and rating provisions, though it’s unclear if they were making any headway with lawmakers.

Transportation stakeholders are opposed to a provision in a draft climate-change bill introduced in the Senate that would generate more revenue based on emissions from the sector than would be re-invested in infrastructure or transportation projects.