News

Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) will offer its 21st Annual Governmental GAAP Update web-stream event on November 3, 2016, and again on December 1, 2016, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm (Eastern). The training will provide comprehensive coverage of the most recent developments in accounting and financial reporting for state and local governments, including:

The IRS priority guidelines released this month include two regulations of importance to many GFOA members: Issue price regulations and proposed rules on the definition of political subdivisions. The priority guidelines specify regulations that the U.S. Department of the Treasury will work on through June 30, 2017.

On February 1, 2016, the House of Representatives voted unanimously to approve HR 2209, bipartisan legislation that would require federal regulators to classify all investment-grade, liquid, and readily marketable municipal securities as high quality liquid assets (HQLA).

Throughout the month of August, your congressional delegation typically puts business on hold in Washington D.C. and heads home. The August Recess is designed to give members of Congress and their staff some time to reorient themselves, so it’s one of the very best times for constituents to meet with their members of Congress. Your advocacy during this period of time means the most because it allows your Congressional member to come face-to-face with the impact of federal preemption legislation, especially because of the deep fiscal impacts these have on localities within their districts.

Reacting to a changing environment is nothing new for local governments, but determining the best response to change can still be difficult. Pueblo County, Colorado, used shared services to address its changing environment and made unexpected gains in the bargain. Faced with increasing software costs due to mandatory system upgrades, several Colorado counties began looking for other property assessment software options. Pueblo, one of the larger counties in the area, found out about the challenge its peers faced and offered to help by providing access to Pueblo County’s system.

Last week, a group of Senate lawmakers introduced legislation (S 3257) that would permanently raise the issuer limit on bank-qualified bonds from $10 million to $30 million. The legislation, which breathes new life into the effort to restore the annual issuer limit to $30 million, is the culmination of work by GFOA’s Federal Liaison Center with the offices of Senator Cardin (D-MD) and Senator Menendez (D-NJ).

On June 24, 2016, House Republicans released a Blueprint for Tax Reform that is intended to act as a guide for future comprehensive tax reform. The strategy includes several significant reforms to the current tax code:

An Internet retailer has filed suit against the State of Alabama, claiming its new rule requiring that all retailers selling more than $250,000 in goods annually must collect sales tax – regardless of whether the retailer has a physical presence in the state – is unconstitutional. This is not the first lawsuit of its kind; a suit was filed earlier this spring challenging the State of South Dakota’s law, which is similar to the Alabama rule.

On June 6, 2016, Patrick J. McCoy, GFOA President-Elect and director of finance for the New York City Metropolitan Finance Authority testified on behalf of GFOA at a hearing held by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of the Treasury on their proposed rule on political subdivisions. The proposal would increase restrictions on the definition of “political subdivision” for the purpose of being able to issue tax-exempt bonds.

The new G-42 rule from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) becomes effective June 23, 2016. Rule G-42, or Duties of Municipal Advisors, stems from the Dodd Frank Act and the SEC’s subsequent municipal advisor rule. This rule does not establish any responsibilities for issuers, but it does create numerous responsibilities for the municipal advisors that are hired by state and local governments.