News and Information from Bond Buyer

States on the whole will see a slight increase in their new capacity to issue private-activity bonds in 2015.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin tapped Sarah Hofmann, executive director of the New England Conference of Public Utilities, to serve on the state's Public Service Board.

Hawaii's draft $25.7 billion draft budget for the biennium contains plans to reduce general obligation bond obligation issuance by half compared to amounts pushed out over the past three years.

The Treasury Department Tuesday auctioned $30 billion of four-week bills at a 0.015% high yield, a price of 99.998875.

Congress is facing a big challenge in 2015 in reaching agreement on how to pay for transportation infrastructure spending.

Indicator Last Report Forecast Actual Consumer Confidence Nov.: 91.0 Dec.: 93.0 Dec.: 92.6

Texas service sector activity "continued to reflect expansion in December," according to business executives responding to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' Texas Service Sector Outlook Survey, but the revenue index declined to 20.5 from 25.4.

Short-term extensions of federal transportation spending are likely to continue through 2015 as lawmakers struggle with a gasoline tax that can't pay the bills.

The municipal bond market was quiet on Tuesday on the last full trading day of 2014. The market has an early close on Wednesday and a full close on Thursday.

The consumer confidence index grew to 92.6 in December from a revised 91.0 last month, The Conference Board reported Tuesday.

Ohio will kick off the New Year with a pair of borrowings that will total $360 million, as the state is in the midst of a major tax overhaul that analysts warn could derail the state's structural balance.

The Midwest Economy Index grew to 0.52 in November from a revised 0.36 in October, first reported as 0.51, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said Tuesday.

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Connecticut OPM operative Karen Buffkin will serve as general counsel to Gov. Dannel Malloy’s office when he begins his second term.

Government

The municipal bond market was quiet on Monday going into the New Year holiday week with bond prices up in thin trading. Meanwhile, the U.S. higher education sector will continue to face challenges in 2015.

Credit rating agencies have made strides in implementing mandatory reforms, the SEC said in recent reports that found the raters also need to improve in several areas, including the way they handle conflicts of interest.