Washington

Standard & Poor's Ratings Service raised its long-term rating to AA from AA-minus on the Washington Economic Development Finance Authority's series 2011 wastewater revenue and refunding bonds.

President Obama plans to propose a revised version of last year's $302 billion, 4-year transportation bill.

A federal judge ordered the former comptroller of a Harvey, Ill., to pay more than $200,000 in fines and barred him from participation in any future municipal issues for his role in misleading investors on several of the south Chicago suburb's past bond offerings.

Reps. John Duncan, R-Tenn., and Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., have once again sponsored legislation to exempt water and sewer private-activity bonds from state volume caps.

State and local governments of all sizes are using direct bank loans as an alternative to traditional bond financing, Standard & Poor's said Wednesday, renewing its call for more transparency surrounding bank debt.

The Internal Revenue Service's interim guidance on how certain accountable care organizations can be structured to avoid resulting in private business use is limited in its scope, the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the American Hospital Association said.

A congressional bipartisan duo filed a bill to capitalize a $50 billion infrastructure bank with 50-year taxable bonds bearing 1% interest.

The Securities and Exchange Commission's rule 15c2-12 governing continuing disclosure of issuer financial information is outdated and could be streamlined to reduce the regulatory burden for issuers and underwriters, bond lawyers and underwriters told the SEC.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board will discuss municipal advisor qualification examinations, as well as comments on proposals restricting MA gift giving and requiring dealers to disclose reference prices on confirmation sheets at its quarterly meeting in Alexandria, Va., next week.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said Wednesday that congressional Republicans and the Obama administration are too far apart on individual tax reform but could reach an agreement on business tax reform.

The Government Finance Officers Association is levelling strong criticism at Moody's Investors Service for failing to provide its credit ratings to EMMA and urging the agency to do so.

Municipal market participants applauded President Obama’s proposal on Friday to create a new type of tax-exempt municipal bond that could be used to help finance public-private infrastructure projects, but one questioned whether it will pass muster with Congress.

The median level of state reserves declined by 21.5% in fiscal year 2014 and is expected to decline further this fiscal year, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The Senate Finance Committee took a step toward comprehensive tax reform on Thursday by launching five bipartisan working groups charged with issuing a report with recommendations by the end of May.

Jury selection began Tuesday in a federal class action lawsuit accusing the former Morgan Keegan & Co. Inc. of securities fraud for its role in underwriting $39 million of defaulted bonds for a failed artificial sweetener plant in Moberly, Mo.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., has introduced a bill that would make the deduction for state and local sales taxes permanent, while Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., has introduced a bill that would make the moratorium on taxing Internet access permanent.

The Internal Revenue Service has announced a simplified process for issuers that have loaned proceeds of qualified 501(c)(3) bonds to borrowers that automatically lost their tax-exempt status for failing to file annual returns or notices for three consecutive years, but have subsequently received reinstatement of their tax-exempt status from the IRS.

New IBTTA president Javier Rodriguez seeks more toll options to fund investments in transportation infrastructure.

Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board revenues totaled $32 million in fiscal year 2014, a 19% drop from the previous year, the board's annual report revealed.

Development of a new multiyear highway bill with more funding for state transportation projects is main focus of a key Senate committee.