News and Information from Bond Buyer

The Chicago City Council approved new rules that require underwriting, advisory, and legal firms that work on Chicago bond deals to report the racial, ethnic and gender makeup of the teams on their transactions.

A federal judge wants more information on bond firms involved in a $31 million borrowing by Allen Park, Mich. that was the target of a recent SEC probe.

The Chicago City Council adopted Mayor Rahm Emanuel's $7.3 billion 2015 budget that pushes off a fix for a pension-related fiscal cliff until after next year's municipal elections.

JEA, north Florida's largest utility, rejected a plan by Jacksonville's mayor to contribute $400 million to the city's pension liability, but agreed to consider negotiating a smaller amount and may issue pension obligation bonds.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has unanimously approved new rules to require self-regulatory organizations and alternative trading systems to strengthen their defenses against technological failures.

The Federal Open Market Committee apparently had a long discussion about whether or not to keep the phrase "considerable time" in its statement regarding how long it would keep the fed funds rate target zero lower bound after its asset purchase program was ended, according to minutes from its Oct. 28-29 meeting, released Wednesday.

Fremont Unified School District sold $140 million of general obligation bonds on Tuesday to fund school projects throughout the San Francisco Bay Area district.

A northern Idaho school district superintendent wants state legislators to sponsor a proposal that would allow school districts to use sales tax increases to pay for school construction.

The municipal bond market is still steady as a slew of new issues hit the primary market on Wednesday including several deals of good size, which traders said were priced attractively.

New York MTA Chairman Thomas Prendergast and several board members called for a full-court press on Albany officials to fully fund its four-year capital program.

The University System of Georgia's 65-year college housing privatization, which will defease $325 million in bonds, is being closely watched by higher education, finance, and housing industries.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it raised its rating on Los Angeles Community College District, Calif., to AA-plus from AA.

Moody's Investors Service said it has assigned an A1 underlying rating and A2 enhanced rating with stable outlook to Jim Thorpe Area School District, Pa.'s $19.6 million general obligation bonds, Series A of 2015 and $3.2 million general obligation bonds, Series B of 2015.

An official with a nonpartisan budget watchdog group questioned the effectiveness of tax-exempt disaster bonds and other types of disaster-related tax expenditures during a Senate hearing Tuesday afternoon.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is asking the Securities and Exchange Commission to approve the MSRB's proposal to create baseline standards of professional qualification for municipal advisors.

Puerto Rico lawmakers are wrangling with Gov. Alejandro García Padilla over ways to boost the finances of the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority after the governor's plan to raise oil taxes reportedly ran into opposition.

The Massachusetts Development Finance Agency issued a $20 million tax-exempt bond to renovate affordable housing in Boston neighborhoods.

The municipal bond market is keeping its focus on new issues as more supply hits the screens on Wednesday.

The latest city treasurer appointee in Harrisburg, Pa., is cleared to work after city officials were satisfied that he lives there.

New York Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder asked Gov. Andrew Cuomo to direct a portion of $5 billion in budget surplus to restore the abandoned Rockaway Beach rail line.