Ending the tax exemption would stick counties, states and other localities with heftier debt service payments.

New Hampshire House and Senate lawmakers moved close to agreement Wednesday on a severely scaled-back version of a bill intended to align state insurance rules with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.

White House-backed immigration legislation is gaining momentum in the Senate, where lawmakers say they are closing in on a bipartisan compromise to spend tens of billions of dollars stiffening the bill's border security requirements without delaying legalization for millions living in the country unlawfully.

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits rose by 18,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 354,000. Despite the gain, the level remains consistent with moderate job growth.