Washington

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board plans to discuss bank loans and dealer disclosure of markups to retail customers during its board meeting here next week.

Aging and underfunded infrastructure is the greatest challenge for mayors, according to a survey sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and The Boston University Initiative and supported by Citi.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board announced on Tuesday which registered brokers, dealers, and municipal advisors will be required to participate in testing business continuity and disaster recovery plans.

States can begin expending their share of the $39.7 billion of federal transportation funding provided in fiscal 2016 by the new FAST Act.

Only Congress can take the necessary steps to fully resolve Puerto Rico's debt crisis, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said in a letter to congressional leadership on Friday.

A Securities and Exchange Commission proposal designed to bolster liquidity risk management among open-end funds would likely reduce the funds' appetite for municipal securities and deter infrastructure projects, the Government Finance Officers Association warned.

Capital needs are rising in the public transportation sector as aging infrastructure must be repaired or replaced, S&P says.

Washington state will issue $673 million of highly rated general obligation bonds next week.

Omnibus federal budget law revives more than $2 billion of unexpended state road earmarks for new use.

Public pension fund advisors are among a handful of new examination priorities for the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2016.

The South Carolina Chamber of Commerce wants a $600 million increase in annual transportation funding.

Most states will be able to issue more private-activity bonds in 2016.

Infrastructure funding and municipal revenue could be on the chopping block when Washington state lawmakers convene.

New tolled express lane west of Denver is meeting early expectations for congestion relief within the I-70 corridor.

"I think it is a concern of many of [GFOA's] members that the MCDC initiative will be used to generate a large number of instances of issuer violations of the continuing disclosure agreements and obligations … and that the violations will be grouped and presented to Congress and SEC commissioners as the basis for organizing some kind of one-size-fits-all regulatory scheme to impose further regulation on issuers," said Dustin McDonald, GFOA federal liaison center director.

Municipal market groups are ready to band together in 2016 to show the Securities and Exchange Commission that they can improve disclosure practices without increased regulation, even as the commission is set to continue publishing settlements with underwriters and issuers who have failed to comply with their continuing disclosure obligations.

Congress will not act on comprehensive tax reform next year, but House Republicans could try to move forward with international or corporate tax reform, according to tax experts.

"Our biggest issue is the issue price rules," Michael Decker, a managing director and co-head of municipal securities for the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, said when asked about the tax arena.

The biggest tax regulatory issue for municipal market participants in 2016 are the issue price rules and what changes the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service will make as they finalize them, dealer and issuer group representatives said in interviews about the coming year.

Washington State Treasurer James McIntire surprised insiders with his decision to not seek re-election after two terms in a position that includes oversight of state bond sales.