This week, the House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to consider changes to the EB-5 investor visa program. On January 13, 2017, DHS published a notice in the Federal Register requesting comments on proposed amendments to its regulations governing the EB-5 program. DHS will be accepting comments on the proposed amendments through April 11, 2017.

Several bills dealing with TIF were heard by a Nebraska's legislature's committee, One bill includes the use of TIF for workforce housing projects. Another bill includes provisions that would require an annual audit plan for TIF projects, allow for more public input, and mandating updates of a cost-benefit analysis.

Incentives provide targeted new or expanding businesses with special tax credits or other special financial benefits or services. Two examples of business incentives are property tax abatements, which reduce property taxes below normal property tax rates; and job creation tax credits (JCTCs), which provide tax benefits tied to jobs or payroll created. This report will investigate these incentives and their effectiveness.

Four schools districts and one town are drawing energy from a 3.68-MW solar project  on a brownfield site 20 miles north of Boston. The project qualifies for Massachusetts' solar renewable energy credit II (SRECII) program and received a greater incentive because it was developed on a brownfield.

The Center for Innovative Finance Support summarizes GARVEEs as debt-financing instruments repaid with future Federal-aid funds. As of December 2016, 25 States and 3 territories have issued over $20.4 billion in GARVEEs. Projects financed with GARVEE proceeds must follow all Federal-aid requirements.

As Congress considers comprehensive tax reform, all tax expenditures are the under the microscope and possibly at risk because they may be repealed in favor of lower tax rates. However, not all tax expenditures have the same impact on the federal budget.

This audio cast from the IRS covers the importance of implementing post-issuance compliance procedures and regularly monitoring those procedures to preserve the status of tax-advantaged bonds over the entire life of the bonds. Tax-advantaged bonds, includes tax-exempt bonds, tax credit bonds, and direct-pay bonds.

The SEC's proposed changes to its Rule 15c2-12 will create many new disclosure obligations that will be costly and burdensome for issuers, especially those that are smaller, said bond lawyers meeting on Thursday.

Dealer groups are still opposed to a proposed standalone minimum denomination rule from the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board after several changes, arguing it would hamper liquidity and should be abandoned for altered suitability requirements.

This past December marked the official start of GASB 77, a new accounting standard requiring all government agencies to report tax abatements as lost revenue. How do these changes affect development finance agencies, audit requirements, and the negotiation of future tax abatement deals? During this installment of the CDFA // BNY Mellon Development Finance Webcast Series, our expert speakers will provide an in depth look into the implications of this new accounting standard.

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