CBA legislative committee authorizes staff to seek amendments to AB 1175 licensure overhaul

The California Board of Accountancy Legislative Committee on March 20 authorized staff to work with Board President Tu and Assemblymember Jackie Irwinto propose amendments to Assembly Bill 1175, the board-sponsored bill that would revise CPA licensure requirements in California.

David Hemphill, information and planning officer for the California Board of Accountancy, told the committee that AB 1175 "includes language previously approved by the CBA to provide a simplified, clear, and flexible set of licensure requirements to practice accountancy in California." Hemphill described key provisions as eliminating the 150-semester-unit requirement for licensure and establishing "the minimum educational requirements as a bachelor's degree with an accounting concentration of courses," aligning examination and licensure education requirements, and increasing the general accounting experience requirement to two years. He said the bill would also authorize the board to recognize certain advanced degrees or specified certificate or training programs as substitutes for portions of the experience requirement.

Hemphill said AB 1175 was introduced Feb. 21 and has been referred to the Assembly Business and Professions Committee, which scheduled a first policy hearing for April 8 at 9 a.m. He told the committee the bill as drafted would take effect Jan. 1,…