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Subcommittee approves amended bill to update CPA licensing and board authority (S.176)
Summary
The subcommittee approved an amendment and advanced Senate Bill 176, which updates definitions, clarifies 150‑hour education language and strengthens Board of Accountancy input to address workforce development and public protection for certified public accountants.
Senate Bill 176, aimed at strengthening the CPA pipeline and modernizing statutes governing certified public accountants, cleared the subcommittee after committee members approved an amendment correcting language about the required 150 academic hours.
Doug Schneider presented the bill and the amendment, saying the changes were mainly clarifications and a technical correction to ensure consistent reference to the 150‑hour education requirement. "Once you get a degree you had to have so many hours to get to the 150," Schneider explained, and the amendment aligns repeated references to that requirement.
Chris Jenkins, CEO of the South Carolina Association of CPAs, described the measure as workforce development and public protection for the profession. Jenkins said reciprocity and mobility provisions allow licensed CPAs from other jurisdictions to practice for South Carolina clients while remaining under the Board of Accountancy’s jurisdiction.
A committee member moved to approve the amendment; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. The committee then voted to advance the amended bill out of subcommittee by voice vote.
The amendment corrects typos and inconsistent phrasing, clarifies mergers and acquisitions language, and aligns multiple sections to reference 150 hours consistently. The bill will proceed to the next committee stage.
