CPA Lobbying Day at State Capitol

The California Society of Certified Public Accountants is organizing a legislative junket to Sacramento in January for the purpose of lobbying elected officials to support legislation that would bring the state’s licensing standards in line to meet with national standards. “California law currently does not meet the national standard for CPA licensure and California CPAs are at risk of losing the ability to serve their clients’ interests outside of California,” said CalCPA in a statement released on the organization’s website. The solution, said CalCPA, is simple: “California must adopt the 150-hour educational pathway as its only pathway to licensure. Currently, more than two-thirds of new California licensees choose the 150-hour pathway,what’s more, that percentage has grown every year since the option was introduced in 2002.” The accounting trade group is urging members to join colleagues at the state capitol on Jan. 21 to support legislation that will be introduced around that time to address what it sees as a problem that jeopardizes the state’s accounting industry. The legislation would “grandfather” in all existing CPAs and those licensed before 2012.