Texas Muni Borrowers Bemoan Anti-ESG Laws Restricting Banks

  • Issuers at Austin conference discuss laws enacted in 2021
  • Two state laws target banks’ policies on guns, fossil fuels

Construction workers work on repairing an intersection in Houston, Texas. 

Photographer: Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Texas borrowers gathered at an industry conference bemoaned two Republican-backed laws in the state that issuers say have restricted which Wall Street banks they can do business with.

The local officials spoke on a panel Tuesday before a packed room of city representatives, bankers and lawyers at an event hosted by the Bond Buyer in Austin. Several bankers at the conference work at firms that have been ensnared by the laws at various points since they took effect almost three years ago.