- by James Spiotto With the end of the flurry of Congressional activity over impeachment, followed by a general yearning for the end to partisan conflicts, we now look to this year and what issues can be addressed before the national election. There remain lingering...
James Spiotto
What Illinois Can Learn From the Supreme Court of Rhode Island and Even Puerto Rico About Public Pension Reform
By James E. Spiotto The U.S. Supreme Court and virtually all state courts have recognized what the Rhode Island Supreme Court recently reaffirmed: insurmountable, unaffordable government contractual obligations for public pensions must be capable of reasonable and...
An Update On Foreign Trade Zones, Economic Development Projects, and Risk Perception with Taxes
By James E. Spiotto This is Part 4 in a 4-part article series on the Post-Fiscal Crisis State and the next fiscal crisis considerations. The information and charts come from a presentation given at the Government Finance Research Center's conference entitled "Ready or...
The First Circuit Court of Appeals Ruling on ‘Assured’ Should be Reheard or Reversed; Recent Ruling Sends a Harsh Message to Municipal Bond Market
( ) Why the Municipal Bond Market Expects Pledged Special Revenues to be Timely Paid to Bondholders in a Chapter 9 Proceeding. And, Why the First Circuit's Assured Ruling in Puerto Rico’s PROMESA Title III Proceeding Should Be Reheard or Reconsidered on Appeal....
PUERTO RICO’S REPUDIATION OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS
PUERTO RICO’S REPUDIATION OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS: A REAL RISK OR JUST KABUKI THEATER By James E. Spiotto On January 14, 2019, the Financial Oversight and Management Board, acting through its Special Claims Committee and the Official Committee of Unsecured...
Evolution of Tax Policy in the Midwest States
Approaches to Taxation and Leverage in the Midwest, James Spiotto Addresses Tax Policy in an Ever Changing Economy In a previous MuniNetGuide article, James Spiotto addressed the demographic, economic, and debt characteristics of Midwest states, providing context for...
Beyond Hurricane Maria: The Gathering Storm of Puerto Rico’s Financial Distress
To Understand the Purpose, Function and Desired Result of Federal Reforms and Disaster Recovery, It Is Important to Understand the Systemic Causes of Puerto Rico's Financial Distress by James Spiotto Puerto Rico's financial problems did not begin with the Great...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part VI: Oversight and Assistance in Illinois
In Part VI of ‘Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress’, James Spiotto Shows What Oversight & Assistance Illinois Provides for Financially Distressed Municipalities, and What Present Legislative Proposals May Offer Part V of this series focused on the...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part V: Business Development and Balanced Budgets
In Part V of ‘Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress’, James Spiotto Discusses the Benefits of Economic Stimulus and Business Development, and a Case Study in Upside Chicago Part IV of this series focused on addressing legacy costs, most notably...
Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress Part IV: The Need to Successfully Address Public Pensions
In Part IV of ‘Overcoming Economic Downturns and Fiscal Distress’, James Spiotto Discusses the Need to Successfully Address Legacy Costs, So That Funding of Essential Services and Needed Infrastructure Improvement Become the Solution Part III of this series focused on...