Bonds

Legislation seeking to end government contracts with companies engaged in “boycotting” an expanded list of industries and business policies passed the Utah House and Senate late Thursday. Senate Bill 97 builds on laws previously enacted in Texas and a few other states focusing on “boycotts” of the fossil fuel or firearm industries by adding timber,

Illinois’ budget and pension stabilization funds would receive automatic deposits when the state hits revenue growth and bill payment triggers under legislation that cleared a House committee this week. With a series of infusions over the last two fiscal years, the state’s once-depleted rainy-day fund remains on track to hit $1.9 billion by the end

Idaho and Wyoming have joined other red states by introducing legislation to ban banks that “boycott” gun manufacturers or energy-related companies. Idaho House bills 189 and 190 introduced by Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, left committees with do-pass recommendations and are headed for third readings on the House floor. Ehardt could not be reached for

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Raphael Bostic called for continued interest-rate hikes to above 5% ensure that inflation returns to the central bank’s target and doesn’t reaccelerate in a pattern similar to the 1970s. “I think we will need to raise the federal funds rate to between 5% and 5.25% and leave it there

Rather than get entangled in controversy over environmental, social and governance issues, Louisiana decided to avoid any problems for its upcoming sale of $275 million of general obligation bonds. The state Bond Commission voted at its Feb. 24 meeting to move ahead with the GO deal via a competitive sale rather than a negotiated transaction

Central bankers must augment what they learn from incoming data with clues gleaned from the real economy and avoid putting too much weight on financial markets, said Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee. In his first public speech since taking office last month, Goolsbee acknowledged it was tempting to lean on the instant

MassachusettsGov. Maura Healey unveileda tax relief proposal Monday, a key feature of her administration’s fiscal year 2024 budget due to be presented to lawmakers on Wednesday. “This proposal centers affordability, competitiveness, and equity each step of the way, delivering relief to those who need it most and making reforms that will attract and retain more

Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester said a bigger-than-expected rise in the central bank’s preferred inflation gauge shows the need to keep raising interest rates, but stopped short of suggesting this warranted a step-up to a half-point hike next month. “The inflation readings are still not where we need them to be,” she told Bloomberg News

Oregon’s revenues continued to beat expectations, with the state’s economists forecasting lawmakers will have nearly $696 million more to spend than anticipated, and about $3.9 billion going back to taxpayers through the kicker rebate. The state has a trigger mechanism that returns money to taxpayers every two years through a so-called kicker rebate if personal

Greenberg Traurig gained five public finance lawyers who joined the law firm’s Houston office this month from Orrick.  Adrian Patterson, who served as Houston office leader at Orrick, joined Greenberg as a shareholder, along with Robert Collie and James Hernandez as of counsels, and Noe Hinojosa III and Donna McIntosh as associates, the law firm

The U.S. would get a national infrastructure bank that would partner with states and local governments to attract private equity and pension funds under a bipartisan bill unveiled this month. It’s the latest legislation to pursue the idea, which lawmakers have floated repeatedly over the years as a way to spur private investment into the

Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering legislation to establish a “baby bond” program, an effort proponents believe will help address racial wealth disparities. Following nearly a year of work by the office of State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg in researching potential plans the bill was submitted to state lawmakers this week. “Baby Bonds is a proactive approach

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ sweeping K-12 education plan passed the Senate Thursday as it continued on a fast trajectory through the legislature despite bipartisan calls to slow down the measure, which includes a phased-in, universal school voucher program. The Republican governor’s Arkansas LEARNS plan received its first public airing on Wednesday before the Senate

Rhode Island last week appealed a decision that struck down its first-of-a-kind tolling program in a case that’s closely watched by other state transportation departments looking to drum up new revenue for transportation infrastructure. The Rhode Island Department of Transportation asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for oral argument, saying the case raises “important questions

Legislation that imposes environmental, social, and governance investment rules on Indiana’s public pension system is advancing after revisions cut the potential impact of the rules to $550,000 from $6.7 billion. If adopted and signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb, the pension system would be required to divest from and terminate some investment relationships when various ESG

A bill introduced in California’s legislature would prohibit banks or lenders with business customers that manufacture firearms from working on the state’s public finances. Senate Bill 637, introduced Thursday by California Sen. Dave Min, D-Costa Mesa, applies to every aspect of the state’s public finances including municipal bonds, capital projects and the state’s debt portfolio,

Two of the Federal Reserve board’s seven governors abstained from supporting the selection of former Obama aide Austan Goolsbee to become president of the Chicago Fed, according to a record of the vote. Governors Michelle Bowman and Christopher Waller, who were both appointed to the board by former President Donald Trump, withheld their support for

Tax-exempt bonds for sports stadiums are once again in the crosshairs under a bill introduced this week by Oregon Democrat Rep. Earl Blumenauer. The bill would amend the tax code – or “close a loophole,” as Blumenauer said – to eliminate the federal tax exemption for bonds that finance or refinance capital expenditures for a

Property tax cuts and expanded school vouchers will be fast tracked for consideration by Texas lawmakers after Gov. Greg Abbott included them in a list of emergency items for the legislative session. In his Thursday evening State of the State address, the Republican governor also said he will soon announce a $100 billion transportation infrastructure

The Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. plans to price $135 million of special revenue bonds Wednesday to support its affordable mortgage program for first-time and lower income home buyers. The issuer, also known as RIHousing, is the state’s housing finance agency. The largest of the three tranches of Homeownership Opportunity Bonds is the