Bonds

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

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker unveiled a $49.6 billion general fund fiscal 2024 budget that banks on still-healthy economic trends to allow deposits into the budget and pension stabilization funds while lifting spending for education and other areas. The $49.6 billion general fund is part of a $118.9 billion spending package and taps most of $49.9

The Georgia Ports Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers have signed an agreement to expand the Port of Brunswick, a move state officials said will help prepare the port for expansion. The agreement, announced Monday, clears the way for the Corps to begin dredging and widening certain sections of the port to accommodate larger

President Biden on Tuesday urged county officials to put federal stimulus dollars to work investing in affordable housing among other things, while also touting his tax policy and infrastructure accomplishments.  Biden made his comments at the National Association of Counties conference in Washington. Biden is fresh off a well-received State of the Union Address in

Kathryn “Kasey” O’Connor, executive director of the California Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Trust Account Program, was awarded the 2022 Chris Allen Memorial Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Public Finance from the National Association of State Treasurers. California Treasurer Fiona Ma nominated O’ Connor for her advocacy of federal legislative issues while

Federal Reserve officials stressed the need for further interest-rate increases to help tame inflation, but expressed differing views about how close they are to stopping after new data showed signs of persistent price pressures. Two officials said Tuesday that interest rates may need to move to a higher level than anticipated to ensure inflation continues

The Federal Reserve will likely have to keep raising interest rates to rein in price growth, which could slow economic expansion and affect the jobs market, Governor Michelle Bowman said. “We are still far from achieving price stability, and I expect that it will be necessary to further tighten monetary policy to bring inflation down

Less than two years after selling $504.5 million of taxable pension bonds, Kansas is considering buying back a chunk of the debt from bondholders using surplus revenue. House Bill 2102 would appropriate $250 million for the state treasurer to repurchase $300 million of term bonds due in 2051 through a tender offer.  State Treasurer Steven

Nevada’s rainy-day fund has soared to $904 million, the highest balance in state history, according to Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine. The balance grew to this level following the transfer of $516.9 million from the state’s general fund last week, according to a release from the treasurer. The balance is more than double what it

Philadelphia Fed President Patrick Harker said the odds of the Federal Reserve being able to control inflation without triggering a recession are growing, but that the key interest rate must get above 5% and stay there to ensure price pressures ease. “We actually are increasing the odds — we can get a soft landing. That

Michigan is considering a large, first-time road tolling program that would establish a public tolling agency and new borrowing credit to shore up a long-struggling road funding system. The toll program, which would begin with nearly 600 of mostly interstate miles, would also be somewhat unusual in that it would build on existing roads. Most

Illinois’ consolidation of suburban and downstate police firefighter pension fund assets cleared a second legal hurdle but it could take a decision from the Illinois Supreme Court to clear the path for full participation in the plan. Kane County Circuit Court Judge Robert Villa last May upheld the law and an appellate court this week