Congratulations to the 2019 Frederic L. Ballard, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Recipients 

The National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL) is pleased to announce the five recipients for the Frederic L Ballard, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Program, who will attend NABL U’s The Essentials (formerly the Fundamentals of Municipal Bond Law Seminar). The scholarship program started in 2011 and was renamed to honor longtime NABL member Frederic L. “Rick” Ballard, Jr., who passed away in 2014. Each recipient receives a waiver of the enrollment fee to attend The Essentials, complimentary hotel lodging/travel expenses, and assigned a faculty mentor to guide them through The Essentials experience. 

The five recipients are: Shweta Jayawardhan; University of Washington, School of Law Seattle, WA; Mae Meierhenry;  University of South Dakota, School of Law, Vermillion, SD; Samuel Noblin; Mississippi College, School of Law, Jackson, MS; Tiffaney Sporl; Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, LA; and Mikell Washington; American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, DC.

Learn more about Qualified Small Issue and Exempt Facility Bonds at The Essentials

Along with four general sessions, there will be 16 Target Sessions at The Essentials. One of the Target Sessions is the "Qualified Small Issue & Exempt Facility Bonds" where you will learn how to define a qualified small issue bond, including identification of a manufacturing facility, functionally related buildings and equipment, principals and related persons and if it meets the face amount and other limitations. After the session, participants will be able to define each type of exempt facility bond and the general provisions applicable to all as well as the specific requirements for various types. Here’s a link to the brochure that outlines all the education and networking opportunities this year. Sign-up today!

NABL Launches NABL Connect—a Members-Only Online Community 

NABL Connect is an online members-only discussion community that provides members with a closed forum to collaborate, learn, discuss, and network.  NABL Connect kicked off with a General Membership Community, and over the next few weeks will introduce a series of online communities based on membership demographics, practice areas, and shared interests.  NABL Connect will continue to grow and adapt based on member needs. Click on the NABL Connect icon to log in and check it out. Learn more about NABL Connect here.

NABL Encourages Members of Congress to Sign Ruppersberger/Stivers Dear Colleague Letter

Congressmen Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Steve Stivers (R-OH), co-chairs of the House Municipal Finance Caucus, have circulated a letter to all members of the House of Representatives asking their colleagues to join them in supporting municipal bonds. The letter states in part, “Any proposal to eliminate or reduce the value of the tax exemption on municipal bonds will raise borrowing costs for our state and local governments, reduce infrastructure investment in the communities we represent, and stall or threaten job creation.”   The letter is addressed to House Ways & Means Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady. All members of the House of Representatives are invited to sign on. 

NABL Request:  Please contact your representative in the House and encourage him/her to sign onto the letter.  As part of that outreach, please also encourage them to consider joining the Municipal Finance Caucus if they are not already a member.  Please share this information with your issuer clients and ask them to make the same request. 

For more information, please click here.