News

GFOA’s best practices in school guidelines are centered on a comprehensive budget process framework focused on academic and finance collaboration to best align resources and desired student outcomes. The framework represents the culmination of a multi-year effort led by GFOA, with input from numerous school district officials and other experts in education finance to develop guidelines for better budgeting tailored specifically for school districts.

The School District of Fort Atkinson in Wisconsin recently invited GFOA staff to present to the district’s senior leadership team the Best Practices in School Budgeting, a framework for an improved budget process. Fort Atkinson is part of the GFOA’s Alliance for Excellence in School Budgeting, an early adopter group of over 70 districts from across the US improving their budget processes. The Best Practices advocate for improved collaboration between finance and academic leaders and the advancement of student outcomes through more effective use of resources.

On January 10, 2017, GFOA and 28 other issuer groups, including our state and local sister organizations, sent a message to the entire Congress in support of the preservation of the tax exemption of municipal bond interest. The message reiterated that the municipal bond is the only infrastructure financing tool that is accessible to jurisdictions of all sizes to effectively access the capital markets. We emphasize that the municipal bond is the best way to effectively implement the infrastructure needs of each community because decision making is made at the local level.

A RESOLUTION urging the United States Congress to enact legislation that will enable State and Local governments to collect revenues due to local government that are essential to the expansion of our local and regional economy, creation of thousands of new jobs, enhancement of the quality of life within our communities, and preservation of limited State and Local revenue sources.

On November 22, 2016, a Texas U.S. District Court judge issued a nationwide temporary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from implementing new overtime pay rules scheduled to take effect December 1, 2016. Twenty-one states joined business groups filing suit in the eastern district of Texas to stop the DOL from implementing the rules, which they say would substantially increase employment costs.

The GFOA Executive Board approved two new best practices in addition to updates to four other existing best practices at the September 2016 meeting. These documents provide recommendations to government finance officers in the areas of treasury and investment management, retirement administration and benefits administration.

On November 10, 2016, GFOA, along with the Leadership of the Committee on Governmental Debt Management, filed comments on the MSRB’s fiscal year 2017 Strategic Plan. The message reiterated approval for the MSRB’s work on EMMA, especially the development of platforms and features that enhance an issuer’s ability to use EMMA with greater ease and consistency, as evidenced in the groups’ recent work on improving the bank loan function. However, GFOA would appreciate the MSRB continuing to reach out to the association about further educational efforts and enhancements to EMMA.

(Chicago, Illinois – October 25, 2016) Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) will host its 111th Annual Conference, May 21-24, 2017, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. Registration for the event is open on GFOA’s website (www.gfoa.org).

The conference is expected to bring together thousands of public finance professionals through:

The GFOA Executive Board Nominating Committee is seeking recommendations for candidates to fill five at-large positions and the position of president-elect for the 2017-2018 GFOA Executive Board. All candidates must be active GFOA members. Please send nominations by December 31, 2016, to Heather A. Johnston, Past President, c/o GFOA, 203 N. LaSalle St., Ste. 2700, Chicago, IL 60601-1210.

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:

On August 24, 2016, the SEC Office of Municipal Securities issued a press release detailing enforcement actions against 71 municipal issuers and obligated persons for violations in municipal bond offerings from 2011 to 2014, as part of the Municipalities Continuing Disclosure Cooperation (MCDC) Initiative.

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).