Far West

The Senate is likely to decide this week whether it will join the House in approving funds that could be used to establish a national infrastructure bank and pay for high-speed rail projects.

SAN FRANCISCO — While many Californians do not feel their state government is working well, they are also skeptical of proposals to reform it, according to the results of a Public Policy Institute of California survey released last week.

In a surprising development, the Treasury Department announced yesterday that tribal governments in 19 states allocated $1 billion of economic development bonds for 58 projects will be able to issue the debt as taxable Build America Bonds and receive direct-payments equal to 35% of their interest payments.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Fitch Ratings Tuesday assigned its F2 short-term rating to next week’s $8.8 billion California revenue anticipation note sale, denying the deal a trifecta of top-tier short-term ratings.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board issued guidance yesterday that will streamline the disclosure of so-called backer information on electronic trade confirmations sent to institutional investors in municipal securities transactions.

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department took another crack at long-pending regulations for bond-financed solid-waste disposal facilities yesterday, issuing updated rules for the second time after the original ones proposed in 2004 were criticized.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has censured and fined White Plains, N.Y.-based Belle Haven Investments LP $32,500 for failing to timely report municipal securities transactions and for failing to enforce written supervisory procedures, FINRA said yesterday.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has censured and fined White Plains, N.Y.-based Belle Haven Investments LP $32,500 for failing to timely report municipal securities transactions and for failing to enforce written supervisory procedures, FINRA said yesterday.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — One day after a blue-ribbon commission created to reform California’s tax code held its final meeting, experts from both sides of the political spectrum declared its proposals all but dead on arrival during a panel at The Bond Buyer’s California Public Finance Conference.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — The municipal bond market is slowly recovering from the financial panic of 2008, but it’s still a long way from healed.