Politics and policy
Politics and policy
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Mesirow's George Barbar said the group's top legislative focus is preserving the municipal bond tax exemption.
March 20 -
As lobbying efforts happen behind the scenes in the House, the ongoing battle over the Washington, D.C., budget is attracting attention from the market and the credit rating agencies who are hedging their bets on a successful outcome.
March 20 -
The U.S. Department of Transportation is pressing public transit agencies to beef up their commuter safety protocols or lose federal funding while the recently passed continuing resolution raises appropriation levels for the sector by less than a half percent.
March 19 -
"If you're an issuer, this is fly-in season," said Jarrod Loadholt, partner at Ice Miller LLP. "Don't hope someone else is going to solve this for you — they're not."
March 19 -
A $1.1 billion dollar cut to the Washington, D.C., budget by way of Congressional action is on hold thanks to intensive lobbying and an intervention by the Senate as the city vows to meet its financial obligations.
March 18 -
The state is trying to navigate its way to a fiscal 2026 budget amid potential federal policy changes and the heightened risk of a recession.
March 18 -
With no policy changes expected, analysts are eagerly awaiting the new Summary of Economic Projections for clues about future monetary policy.
March 18 -
Bond-issuing infrastructure districts and development zones were a focus of legislation passed by Utah lawmakers during a session that ended March 7.
March 18 -
President Trump's selection of Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman as the next vice chair for supervision comes as banking groups and their allies in Congress asked the administration to fill the position quickly. Bowman was the preferred choice for many in the industry.
March 17 -
The MSRB has said it is amending a pending rule change that would greatly shorten the reporting time standard for municipal bond trades, which could cause problems for certain transactions, dealer firms said.
March 17 -
Moody's Ratings revised the outlook to negative from stable but affirmed the A1 rating on the CTA's senior lien sales tax bonds.
March 17 -
Citibank, which holds the government funds, said it froze the money following a request from the FBI.
March 17 -
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara wants the prospective rate hike discussed at a public hearing in April before he formally approves it.
March 17 -
Mayor Brandon Johnson's team wants the Chicago Public Schools to refinance debt to free up money for a pension payment to the city.
March 17 -
All of fiscal 2025 will be funded under a continuing resolution instead of the traditional appropriations package.
March 17 -
Gov. Josh Stein said in his State of the State address too many schools are overcrowded or decrepit.
March 14 -
The Department of Transportation is signaling moves away from Biden-era infrastructure spending tied to environmental concerns and heading back to more formula funding, which is welcome news for transportation heads.
March 14 -
The Tax Policy Center examined which cities and states would be the most affected if Congress eliminates the tax exemption.
March 14 -
Alaska, California, Hawaii, Washington, Louisiana and New York have the worst-performing, least cost-effective roads and bridges, according to Reason Foundation's latest report.
March 13 -
The U.S. Congress is considering eliminating the federal tax exemption for municipal bonds, the single most important financing tool for cities and towns across America. If they do, the cost of building and maintaining infrastructure — roads, bridges, schools, water systems, and even broadband networks — will skyrocket.
March 13

















