Last week, (June 14,2019) the Municipal Bonds for America (MBFA) Coalition canvased Capitol Hill in support of municipal finance for infrastructure development and the tax exemption through multiple events on Capitol Hill over a two-day period. MBFA Executive Chair Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, S.C. and current president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors presided…
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Co-chairs of the House Municipal Finance Caucus submit a bi-partisan Dear Colleague letter to the entire House of Representatives in support of the tax exempt status of municipal bonds. The letter states, “The federal tax exemption reduces the cost of issuing municipal bonds, making important community infrastructure cheaper for taxpayers and freeing up resources for…
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On May 20th, members of the House Municipal Finance Caucus, led by Congressmen Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Stivers (R-OH), introduced H.R. 2772 a bill to restore the tax-exemption for advance refunding bonds. Titled the, “Investing in Our Communities Act,” the bill will enable governments to refinance outstanding bonds for infrastructure and free up resources for other…
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On April 2, 2019, Mayor Steve Benjamin testified before the House Energy & Commerce Committee on state and local action on climate change. As a staunch advocate for municipal bonds, he also defended the tax-exemption for municipal bonds and argued for the full reinstatement of advance refunding in his testimony. You can view his testimony…
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Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, S.C., advocating for the full reinstatement of advance refundings.
Contact Justin Underwood at justin@munibondsforamerica.org to receive a hard copy.
Today, Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) announced Congressman Steve Stivers (R-OH) will co-chair the Municipal Finance Caucus. Rep. Ruppersberger is an original founder of the caucus, along with outgoing co-chair Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL). You can view the statement released by Rep. Ruppersberger here. The MBFA Coalition looks forward to working with Rep. Stivers and his…
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The Municipal Bonds for America (MBFA) Executive Committee recently sent a “thank you” to Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) for his dedication to preserving the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds and for his support in co-creating the Congressional Municipal Finance Caucus, which he also co-chaired, during his time in Congress.
Last week, the Municipal Bonds for America (MBFA) Coalition increased its advocacy efforts for the support of municipal finance and the tax exemption on Capitol Hill. In addition to its annual educational seminar for Hill staff, the coalition also held discussions with staff at the National Economic Council (NEC), and hosted a fundraiser for Representative Richard…
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Mayor Benjamin recently sat down with the Bond Buyer to discuss the importance of advance refundings for municipal bond issuers, his agenda as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the work of the MBFA coalition.
Why mayors are `completely baffled’ by loss of advance refunding The beginning of Infrastructure Week 2018 presents us with the perfect opportunity to highlight a major blow to community control and to local government infrastructure investment: the repeal of advance refunding of municipal bonds in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I deeply appreciate that…
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Announces Key Priorities—Infrastructure, Innovation, Inclusion—During Inaugural Speech by Sarah Durr Columbia, SC—Columbia, SC Mayor Steve Benjamin became the 76th President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) in an inaugural ceremony on Monday, May 7, 2018. As part of the ceremony, Mayor Benjamin delivered a keynote speech announcing his key priorities for the year ahead, which will…
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By Brian Tumulty Published February 09 2018, 10∶06am EST More in Infrastructure, Washington DC WASHINGTON – Friday morning’s brief federal government shutdown highlighted the unpredictability of federal funding that state and local governments say they want to end in order to help them plan their own budgets. “The big issue we want is regular order,”…
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On Monday, January 29th, the Municipal Bonds for America (MBFA) Coalition held a reception for Members of Congress and their staff to thank them for their support of maintaining the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds in the recently passed Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We were honored to have hosted the co-chairs of the Congressional…
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The MBFA Coalition submitted a thank you letter on January 2nd, 2018, to Congressional Leaders for their assistance in preserving the tax-exempt status of municipal bonds, including PABs in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
The City of Columbia and other local governments have long worked in good faith with our federal partner to develop policies and programs that invest in our communities and deliver results. As such, I deeply appreciate that both the House and Senate tax bills would maintain the century-old tax exemption for municipal bonds. State and…
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U.S. Representative Randy Hultgren (IL-14), Co-Chair of the Congressional Municipal Finance Caucus, led 20 of his Republican colleagues in sending a letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to preserve the tax – exempt status of private activity bonds in any tax reform legislation. The letter stresses the importance of maintaining the tax-exempt status of advance…
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Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, SC, and Chairman of the Municipal Bonds for America (MBFA) Coalition, submitted a letter showing support for Sen. Cardin’s amendment, which would strike the repeal of advance refunding bonds in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The MBFA is appreciative of the attention that is being paid to this very…
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The Municipal Bonds for America (MBFA) Coalition submitted a letter to Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and other members of the Senate Finance Committee to show its appreciation for protecting the underlying tax exempt status on municipal bonds, including private activity bonds (PABs). However, the Coalition strongly objected to the inclusion to deny tax…
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