Mississippi

In a one-day special session Friday, the Mississippi Legislature approved the issuance of $175 million of general obligation bonds as incentives for two major development projects.

Mississippi Lieut. Gov. Phil Bryant last week bested four candidates vying for the Republican nomination for governor this fall.

The Mississippi State Bond Commission is seeking underwriters for the sale of $650 million of general obligation bonds expected to be sold in late September or early October. The deal will be split evenly between tax-exempt and taxable debt, according to the request for proposals. The bonds will have maturities up to 25 years.

The Rankin County School Board is planning to ask voters to authorize the issuance of $169.5 million of general obligation bonds.

DALLAS — Tolls on twin state bridges across the Mississippi River in New Orleans should be allowed to expire next year with the final payment on the bonds that financed the spans, an advocacy group argues.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Seven months after the largest oil spill in U.S. history, the credit ratings of state and local government bond issuers in the Gulf Coast region have remained stable, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Mississippi expects to price this week’s largest negotiated deal with a $650.7 million taxable general obligation bond transaction that represents only its second issuance of Build America Bonds.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Three Gulf Coast states are trying to beat the deadline to sell billions of dollars of private-activity bonds allocated by Congress in the 2005 Gulf Opportunity Zone Act.

BRADENTON, Fla. — The Mississippi Legislature was expected to be in a special session today deciding whether to approve $50 million of bond financing and other incentives for a biofuels company.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Boosted by the popularity of Build America Bonds and refunding opportunities, issuers in the 11 states that comprise the Southeast region sold $34.5 billion of municipal bonds in the first half of 2010, up 7.4% over the same period last year.

BRADENTON, Fla. — Moody’s Investors Service yesterday said the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may ultimately result in negative credit impacts on state and local governments in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

Gov. Haley Barbour has signed the Mississippi School District Emergency Bridge Loan Act, which may be seeded with bond proceeds.

Standard & Poor's Tuesday raised the underlying rating on the Lamar County School District's general obligation bonds two notches to A from BBB-plus based primarily on its rapidly expanding property tax base and good income levels.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has ordered another $54.3 million in budget cuts, as revenue projections have persistently outpaced actual collections.

Gov. Haley Barbour on Monday said Mississippi’s revenue collections continue to lag budget projections and year-to-year comparisons.

In a review of Mississippi’s ratings released on Friday, Standard & Poor’s said the state’s AA general obligation debt rating reflected a strong financial position because of healthy reserves, despite decreased revenue collections for fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2010.