Washington

Patrick Sweeney, Fidelity Capital Markets' senior vice president and manager of the municipal securities department, joined the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board Thursday, replacing Edward Tishelman, who left TD Securities.

Recent MCDC settlements provide guidance concerning the scope of materiality in continuing disclosure obligations.

Standard & Poor's downgraded the underlying rating of Snohomish County School District No. 15 in Edmonds, Wash. to AA-minus from AA

Voters in eight states approved 26 of 37 transportation funding proposals on Nov. 3 ballots.

The New Jersey Health Care Facilities Financing Authority appears to be settling a tax dispute with the Internal Revenue Service over revenue bonds it issued in 1993 for Deborah Heart and Lung Center, which later entered into a total return swap.

The House adopted a six-year, $325 billion transportation funding measure that must be reconciled by Nov. 20 with Senate's $342 billion plan.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D- N.Y., introduced a bill Wednesday that would substantially increase hedge fund reporting requirements in response to ongoing concerns about hedge funds' role in Puerto Rico's financial crisis.

Sales of State and Local Government Series Securities will resume Tuesday at noon EST, the Treasury Department said, after President Obama signed legislation Monday that suspends the debt limit through March 15, 2017.

The National Governors Association has hired Scott Pattison to be its new executive director and chief executive officer.

The more than 250 amendments filed to the House's proposed six-year highway bill include a proposal to raise the federal gasoline tax by 15 cents.

The Administration has concluded that, as part of a comprehensive approach to Puerto Rico's crisis, a tested federal bankruptcy regime is necessary.

The IAH Public Facility Corp.' $49 million of bonds for a jail in Polk County, Texas, are one of a number of issues that have been audited by the IRS, which has claimed jail bonds are taxable private activity bonds.

Puerto Rico could benefit from a control board similar to what Congress implemented for Washington, D.C., said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Justin Underwood will join Bond Dealers of America on Nov. 16 as federal policy advisor.

The Government Finance Officers Association's executive board recently approved two updated disclosure best practice documents designed to help issuers meet their bond-related disclosure requirements while considering the possibilities of website-based and voluntary disclosures.

The $500 million of federal TIGER grants to transportation projects in 34 states brings the total to $4.6 billion since 2009.

The National Governors Association is calling on newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan to move transportation and online sales tax legislation.

The House on Tuesday passed a three-week extension of federal transportation funding that would keep reimbursements to states for highway and transit projects flowing through Nov. 20.

The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have released final allocation and accounting rules that bond lawyers say will help in administering public-private partnerships for transportation and joint ventures involving hospitals.

The ports of Seattle and Tacoma have merged their marine cargo operations in an effort to better compete with other Pacific ports while keeping their bond portfolios independent.