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Access to Capital

Entrepreneurship levels fall in 2012 thanks to improving economy; Midwest lagging nation in new-business creation

By Laura Tomaka | Monday, May 13, 2013 at 11:26 am

Stateline Midwest ~ May 2013

At the same time that the nation’s unemployment rate was falling in 2012, entrepreneurial activity was slowing. According to the Kauffman Foundation’s annual Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, an average of 300 per 100,000 Americans started a business in 2012, down from 320 in 2011. This translates into approximately 514,000 new business establishments created each month in 2012, compared to about 543,000 in 2011.

Rhode Island is latest state to enact L3C Legislation

By Ericka Harney | Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 2:46 pm

Rhode Island Governor Chaffee signed L3C Legislation into law on June 13, 2011 with the legislation to be effective July 1, 2012. HB 5279 was sponsored by Rep. Christopher Blazejewski.

Healthy Food Retail Act

By CSG Committee on Suggested State Legislation | Friday, January 28, 2011 at 3:45 pm

This Act directs the state department of agriculture and forestry to set up a financing program to stimulate investment in healthy food retail outlets in underserved areas of the state. The Act defines "Healthy food retailers" as for-profit or not-for-profit retailers that sell high quality fresh fruits and vegetables at competitive prices including but not limited to supermarkets, grocery stores, and farmers‘ markets.

Federal aid coming to states to help small business: Improving access to credit, promoting exports goal of two new programs

By Nell Etheredge | Thursday, December 16, 2010 at 3:31 pm

At the end of September, President Obama signed into law the Small Business Jobs Act, which includes more than $1.5 billion for states to cultivate small-business job growth in 2011 and beyond.

Resolution on Rating Agency Reform and Preserving the Tower Amendment

By CSG Executive Committee | Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 12:00 am

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The Council of State Governments acknowledges the recent dialogue rating agencies have conducted with state treasurers and other issuers in this regard and recommends that: (1) rating agencies should utilize a single rating scale for all debt instruments such that a rating applied to a municipal bond indicates the same credit risk as that same rating applied to corporate bonds, while also recognizing the need for relative ratings amongst municipal issuers; and (2) ratings should measure the ability of an issuer to meet its obligation to investors as promised in the bond documents, such obligation primarily being to pay debt service on time and in full.