PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 21, 2009
Municipal Bond Fairness Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to direct the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to require each registered nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NSRO) (credit rating agency) to establish, maintain, and enforce written policies and procedures reasonably designed to: (1) establish and maintain credit ratings with respect to securities and money market instruments designed to assess the risk that investors in such instruments may not receive payment in accordance with their terms of issuance; and (2) define clearly any rating symbol and apply it consistently.
Permits an NSRO to use or consider the following when assessing the risk that an investor in a security or money market instrument will not receive repayment in accordance with the terms of issuance: (1) additional credit factors that it has documented and disclosed; (2) credit factors that are unique to municipal securities that are not backed by the issuer's full faith and credit; or (3) an additional credit rating symbol to distinguish ratings of a certain type of security or money market instrument from ratings of any other types.
Prohibits the SEC from imposing any requirement that prevents an NSRO from establishing ratings that are complementary to such mandatory ratings and that are created to measure a discrete aspect of risk.
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Directs the SEC to establish performance measures to consider when deciding whether to initiate a review concerning whether an NSRO has failed to adhere to its procedures and methodologies for issuing ratings.
People & committees
Rep. Capuano, Michael E. [D-MA-8] · D–MA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
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Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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