A. An authority that has issued bonds in accordance with the Electric Generating Facility Economic District Act may issue refunding bonds for the purpose of refinancing, paying and discharging all or any part of outstanding bonds for the:
(1) acceleration, deceleration or other modification of the payment of the outstanding bonds, including, without limitation, any capitalization of any interest thereon in arrears or about to become due for any period not exceeding two years from the date of the refunding bonds;
(2) purpose of reducing interest costs or effecting other economies; or
(3) purpose of modifying or eliminating restrictive contractual limitations:
(a) pertaining to the issuance of additional bonds; or
(b) concerning the outstanding bonds or facilities relating to the outstanding bonds.
B. An authority may pledge irrevocably for the payment of interest, principal and premium, if any, on refunding bonds the appropriate pledged revenues, which may be pledged to an original issue of bonds.
C. Refunding bonds may be issued separately or in combination in one series or more.
D. Refunding bonds shall be authorized by resolution. Bonds that are refunded shall be paid at maturity or on any permitted prior redemption date in the amounts, at the time and places and, if called prior to maturity, in accordance with any applicable notice provisions, all as provided in the proceedings authorizing the issuance of the refunded bonds or otherwise appertaining thereto, except for any such bond that is voluntarily surrendered for exchange or payment by the holder or owner.
E. The principal amount of the refunding bonds may exceed the principal amount of the refunded bonds and may also be less than or the same as the principal amount of the bonds being refunded if provision is duly and sufficiently made for the payment of the refunded bonds.
F. The proceeds of refunding bonds, including accrued interest and premiums appertaining to the sale of refunding bonds, shall be immediately applied to the retirement of the bonds being refunded or placed in escrow in a commercial bank or trust company that possesses and exercises trust powers and that is a member of the federal deposit insurance corporation. The proceeds shall be applied to the principal of, interest on and any prior redemption premium due in connection with the bonds being refunded; provided that the refunding bond proceeds, including accrued interest and premiums appertaining to a sale of refunding bonds, may be applied to the establishment and maintenance of a reserve fund and to the payment of expenses incidental to the refunding and the issuance of the refunding bonds, the interest on those bonds and the principal of those bonds, or both interest and principal as the authority determines. This section does not require the establishment of an escrow if the refunded bonds and the amounts necessary to retire the refunded bonds within that time are deposited with the paying agent for the refunded bonds. Any such escrow shall not necessarily be limited to proceeds of refunding bonds but may include other money available for its purpose. Proceeds in escrow pending such use may be invested or reinvested in bills, certificates of indebtedness, notes or bonds that are direct obligations of, or the principal and interest of which obligations are unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States or in certificates of deposit of banks that are members of the federal deposit insurance corporation; provided that the par value of the certificates of deposit is collateralized by a pledge of obligations or by a pledge of payment that is unconditionally guaranteed by the United States; and further provided that the par value of those obligations is at least seventy-five percent of the par value of the certificates of deposit. Such proceeds and investments in escrow, together with any interest or other income to be derived from any such investment, shall be in an amount at all times sufficient as to principal, interest, any prior redemption premium due and any charges of the escrow agent payable therefrom to pay the bonds being refunded as they become due at their respective maturities or at any designated prior redemption date or dates in connection with which the district shall exercise a prior redemption option. A purchaser of a refunding bond issued is not responsible for the application of the proceeds by the district or any of its officers, agents or employees.
G. Refunding bonds may bear additional terms and provisions as determined by the authority subject to the limitations in this section relating to original bond issues. Refunding bonds are not subject to the provisions of any other statute.
H. Refunding bonds:
(1) may have interest, principal value or any part thereof payable at intervals or at maturity, as determined by the authority;
(2) may be subject to prior redemption at the district's option at a time or times and upon terms and conditions with or without payment of premium or premiums, as determined by the authority;
(3) may be serial in form and maturity or may consist of a single bond payable in one or more installments or may be in another form, as determined by the authority; and
(4) shall be exchanged for the bonds and any matured unpaid interest being refunded at not less than par or sold at public or negotiated sale at, above or below par and at a price that results in a net effective interest rate that does not exceed the maximum permitted by the Public Securities Act [6-14-1 to 6-14-3 NMSA 1978].
I. At a regular or special meeting, an authority may adopt a resolution by majority vote to authorize the issuance of the refunding bonds.
History: Laws 2020, ch. 78, § 8.
ANNOTATIONSEmergency clause. — Laws 2020, ch. 78, § 13 contained an emergency clause and was approved March 9, 2020.