Louisiana

"It was a misguided effort from the beginning to ever use the Bond Commission and any of the work that it does to send a political message to anyone for any reason," said Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Municipal bond issuers in the Southeast sold $40.7 billion of bonds in the first half of this year, a 6.3% year-over-year increase.

The Louisiana Bond Commission approved $600 million of notes to help pay Hurricane Ida damage claims after several insurers went bankrupt and up to $1.1 billion to build a biorefinery.

Most top 10 issuers for 1H are from New York and California, with four from New York and two from California.

NOAA predicts six to 10 hurricanes and expects that between three and six of those will be classified as major storms in categories three to five.

As summer beckons, it's time for a reporters' roundtable with some of the Bond Buyer's senior staff. Yvette Shields, Karen Pierog, Keeley Webster and Thomas Nocera talk with Chip Barnett about what's hot in their regions and what municipal bond market participants should expect to see in the months ahead. (25 minutes)

The rating agency said the action reflects significant progress the state has made restoring its financial reserves and liquidity in recent years.

Elected officials in Republican-dominated states say S&P Global Ratings, by introducing ESG analysis, is politicizing the ratings process or even possibly acting illegally.

The Louisiana House passed a bill to limit firms that "discriminate" against the firearms industry from government business. A similar bill was vetoed last year.

This is the second time S&P Global Ratings placed New Orleans on negative CreditWatch due to long delays in publishing audited financial statements.

Oklahoma is poised to follow in the footsteps of Texas by barring banks from municipal bond deals if deemed to be against firearms and fossil fuel industries.

Alex Wiggins, CEO of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, said it will be looking at a combination of bond authority and public-private partnerships to help pay for transportation infrastructure projects.

The state under transportation secretary Shawn Wilson is gaining a national reputation for pursuing P3s for tolled bridge replacements.

The deal priced into a market that has seen rising rates for municipal bonds along with record high oil and gas prices.

“We are anticipating a substantial present value savings as a result of our being proactive,” said the spokeswoman for state Treasurer John Schroder.

States, on the front lines of implementing the new $1.1 trillion infrastructure program, want clear, flexible federal rules and the ability to tap private investment.

Citing lingering questions about the bank's policies on financing of firearms manufacturers, the Bond Commission chose Wells Fargo for the refinancing deal.

Turnout was less than 14% during Saturday's voting where only one constitutional amendment out of four was approved.

Louisiana voters will decide Nov. 13 on constitutional amendments that affect how income taxes are calculated and sales taxes are collected.

“A year after two devastating hurricanes, Calcasieu Parish is struggling to rebuild because FEMA works at the pace of a snail,” says Treasurer John Schroder.