Washington

Appointed members of state and local governmental boards will likely be exempted from the Securities and Exchange Commission's final definition of municipal advisor, which is expected to be released early this year, the SEC chairman said Thursday.

Transportation and business leaders on Wednesday discussed controversial solutions for funding American infrastructure, including Build America Bonds, gasoline tax increases, and wider use of tolling.

A bill that would allow states to collect taxes from online purchases will be introduced in both chambers of Congress on Thursday, after several setbacks at the end of last year.

The MSRB's Jay Goldstone reminded that comments on its review of its rules and interpretive guidance rule changes are due Feb. 19, asking commenters to offer specific suggestions and critiques.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is proposing to create a new Rule G-47 that would codify current guidance on the obligations of dealers to disclose material information about municipal securities to customers at or before the time of purchase or sale.

Former investment banker and New York City official Mark Kim is the new chief financial officer at the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, DC Water announced at its board meeting Feb. 7.

Seattle may sell a bond-financed downtown mall parking garage that has been losing money.

The outlook for U.S. toll roads is negative for the fifth consecutive year, according to a Moody's Investors Service analysis of expectations for the sector over the next 12-18 months.

Municipal market insiders say muni-related items working though the Securities and Exchange Commission will likely remain on track if Mary Jo White, a securities litigator and former U.S. prosecutor, becomes the SEC's new chairman.

Moody's Investors Service has put 11 triple-A rated municipal credits, including one state, one major city and two state housing authority programs, on negative watch following a new analysis of issuers with indirect links to the federal government.

Several individuals have emerged as candidates to replace Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood when he steps down, but that person will need to be very proactive to affect meaningful policy, lobbyists say.

President Obama urged Congress on Tuesday to pass a short-term spending cut and tax reform package as a way to stave off the looming March 1 sequestration cuts that he said would be economically damaging to the U.S. economy.

The Treasury Department has reopened the sales of State and Local Government Securities as of Tuesday at noon.

State tax revenues rose 2.7% in the third quarter of 2012 for the eleventh consecutive quarter of growth, the Rockefeller Institute of Government reported Tuesday.

District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi will retire on June 1, he announced Friday.

Pennsylvania is distributing $8.6 million in restitution from JPMorgan Chase & Co., to municipalities and nonprofit organizations who were victims of a scheme to rig bids of municipal bond reinvestment contracts, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office announced.

A bill has been introduced in the state legislature to sell the naming rights for public facilities.

District of Columbia Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi and Mayor Vincent Gray announced a $417 million 2012 surplus this week, bringing the city's fund balance to its highest in five years.

Revenues at municipalities may increase slightly in 2013 and additional municipal bankruptcies will be uncommon as state and local governments continue a slow economic recovery, speakers at the Governing Outlook conference said here Tuesday.