300 CPAs Connect with Legislators on Critical Issues
California CPA magazine: July 2008
Three hundred CPAs came to Sacramento May 13 to meet with legislators and talk about the need for national uniformity in regulation of the CPA profession. Specifically, the CPAs were in Sacramento to talk about AB 2473 (Niello, Ma), the California Board of Accountancy- sponsored legislation to elevate California’s educational standards for CPA licensing to those of 45 other states and to allow California consumers to exercise their right to choose their CPA financial advisers. And, the participants’ message was well received by legislators.
It really was a great day. Assemblymember Fiona Ma, CPA welcomed attendees to the briefing prior to their visits with legislators. She noted they were in Sacramento on a historic day as the first African American woman was installed as Speaker of the Assembly. Ma related progress that was being made on CPA mobility and urged their continued participation in the process.
Assembly Member Roger Niello, CPA sent a representative to the morning briefing meeting to express his regret on being unable to be personally present. “As you know, or will find out, our CPA mobility bill (AB 2473) is stalled in committee. Well, I am here at least in spirit this morning to assure you that, while AB 2473 may not be moving, the issue will not go away. To be eventually successful, I need your help. Only with your help we will have success. It is up to you to speak out about the truth of the profession, because you had better believe the opposition is doing its best to tell a different story.”
Niello’s message included a quote from British philosopher and mathematician Bertrand Russell:
“Man is a credulous animal, and must believe something; in the absence of good grounds for belief he will be satisfied with bad ones.”
The opposition to AB 2473 is being led and to a large extent motivated by the Center for Public Interest Law located in San Diego, which has been accused of spreading misinformation about the mobility proposal and the effort to increase the educational standards for California’s CPA candidates to meet a national standard.
While AB 2473 may be dead for this session, the effort to advance mobility has gained tremendous momentum across the nation. Twenty-five states already have enacted similar provisions and it is anticipated that at least four more will successfully pass the model legislation this year.
Next year’s CPA Day at the Capitol already is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009. Mark your calendars now and make plans to participate. We need at least another 300 CPAs to meet with new and returning legislators to tell the truth about the profession. The focus will again be on mobility and achieving national uniformity for the CPA profession. It is critical to clients that California CPAs be able to support their interests in an increasingly global economy.
CalCPA will continue to work the issue for the remainder of this year and in the next legislative session.
California Board of Accountancy
The CBA will consider changes to the qualifications for becoming a CPA in California at its July meeting. Among proposals that are thought to be coming forward are increasing the number of auditing hours that will be required to fulfill the experience requirement for becoming qualified to sign audits and reviews from 500 hours to 1,000 hours and limiting the kinds of attest experience that would qualify. A proposal may be brought forward at the CBA’s July 24–25 meeting, which will be held at the Sheraton Pasadena Hotel.
Also at that meeting, the CBA will begin considering whether or not to modify the ethics CPE requirement. Currently CPAs are required to complete eight hours of ethics education every six years. Some members of the CBA believe that ethics should be completed with every renewal and are looking at ways to modify the requirement by requiring fewer hours, but with more frequency. The CBA also is considering whether or not it should change from a two-year renewal cycle to a three-year cycle.
Carol Sigmann CBA CEO Retires
Carol Sigmann, CEO of the California Board of Accountancy, recently announced her retirement after a 17-year career regulating the California CPA profession. Sigmann’s last day will be in early July. She has had a distinguished career heading the CBA staff through all of its sunset reviews, establishment of a modern enforcement model, computerization of the CPA Exam, and providing valuable leadership nationally through her participation in the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. The CBA is in the process of selecting a replacement and CalCPA wishes both the board and Carol Sigmann well as they undertake a new future.
Bruce C. Allen is CalCPA’s division director of government relations.
