Washington

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to approve the MSRB's proposal to create baseline standards of professional qualification for municipal advisors.

State and local government groups are urging the House to pass the online sales tax legislation called the Marketplace Fairness Act, after a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the Ohio Republican has problems with the bill and has no intention of moving it forward this year.

Many issuers mulling whether to self-report disclosure violations under a Securities and Exchange Commission initiative will probably weigh their decisions right down to the deadline, and will not see any further guidance from the SEC, a muni law expert told market participants Tuesday.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has fined three firms $32,500 and expelled another from FINRA membership for violations of municipal securities rules governing pricing, transaction reporting, record keeping, and supervision.

Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne says new P3 rules remove the mystery from the selection process.

The Allen Park, Mich., case marks the first time a city official has been charged on the theory that he "controlled" the persons who committed the primary securities law violations, even though he isn't alleged to have participated or even known of the conduct at issue.

A municipal market research firm is urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a review of its municipal bond disclosure rules to address what it warns are "glaring gaps" in market practices.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority approves a $1 billion capital construction program at Reagan National Airport.

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing bonds issued in 2006 by the Orange County Health Facilities Authority in Florida for Orlando Regional Healthcare System, now Orlando Health Inc.

Virginia's Commonwealth Transportation Board tightens the rules on how the state deals with public-private partnerships.

A federal appeals court appears likely to hear oral arguments in the case of three convicted UBS AG bid riggers early next year, according to documents filed with the court this week.

The Internal Revenue Service is auditing two bond issues sold in 2007 by Colorado authorities for a university and a health care borrower.

An issuer has publicly disclosed its agreement to participate the Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation initiative, a decision several bond lawyers said could be a major misstep.

The city of Spokane, Wash. is planning to sell $175 million of green bonds next week to help fund some of the city's environmental projects.

Many major U.S. cities still suffer from the fiscal crisis, despite rising housing prices and the falling national jobless rate, according to a report released Tuesday by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Virginia lawmakers likely will reverse a plan to kill a $50 million transfer to the state's transportation fund that imperiled a proposed $100 million road bond issue.

Voters in California and Texas, the nation's two most populous states, scored notable victories for fiscal responsibility on Election Day by overwhelmingly taking stands against shifting today's obligations onto the backs of future generations.

The Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association's municipal securities division will honor Kenneth D. Gibbs, president of the Municipal Securities Group of Jefferies LLC, with its 2014 Honor Roll Award at a luncheon Tuesday in New York City.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's unprecedented enforcement action against a former municipal official earlier this week in a case involving Allen Park, Mich. should make public leaders aware and cautious, legal experts and issuer officials said Friday.