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CBA liaison outlines proposed automatic mobility and education changes for CPA licensure
Summary
At an Oct. 10 Enforcement Advisory Committee meeting, CBA liaison Theresa Thompson summarized July and September CBA actions including proposals for automatic CPA mobility with consumer protections and a pathway allowing a bachelor’s degree plus experience for licensure; the CBA also reported outreach and scheduled an interim meeting for Nov. 4.
Theresa Thompson, the California Board of Accountancy’s liaison to the Enforcement Advisory Committee, summarized actions the board took this summer and fall and outlined staff work on legislative changes intended to alter licensure and mobility for certified public accountants.
Thompson told the committee that at the July 2024 CBA meeting members discussed the CPA pipeline, CPA mobility and proposed changes to the Uniform Accountancy Act. "We requested CBA staff to draft a legislative proposal for review ... that would implement automatic mobility subject to important consumer protection safeguards," she said, and also to draft a proposal allowing applicants to meet educational requirements with a bachelor’s degree plus increased experience while preserving a pathway for an advanced degree plus one year of experience.
The report said the CBA approved sending a communication to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) expressing concerns about consumer protection and independence for firms operating under alternative practice structures and asked NASBA to explore whether changes to the Uniform Accountancy Act would be necessary. Thompson also said staff were directed to examine regulatory changes to allow firm owners to sign reports on attest engagements.
Thompson reported that the governor assigned Assembly Bill 3251 on Sept. 26, extending the CBA’s authority for an additional four years. She also summarized the September CBA meeting at California State University San Marcos, noting outreach events at CSUSM and UC San Diego, and said the board approved two legislative proposals and scheduled an interim meeting (to be held in person and by Webex) on Nov. 4 to consider exposure drafts from NASBA and the AICPA about modifying licensure requirements and automatic mobility.
Chair Kathy Johnson highlighted terminology, urging the board to use the phrase "bachelor’s degree" rather than specifying "120 hours," arguing the degree-based wording preserves the integrity of the requirement. "Bachelor's degree, I think, is really, really important," Johnson said.
Thompson and the committee had no substantive public comments on the report. The CBA plans to pursue the legislative drafting work and to meet again at the interim session on Nov. 4 and at the next regularly scheduled board meeting in November.
