Committee hears bill to add experience-based pathway for CPA licensure in Kansas
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Summary
House Bill 2573 would revise Kansas Board of Accountancy licensure rules by replacing 'substantial equivalency' with explicit criteria and creating an experience-based pathway (bachelor's degree plus one or two years of accounting experience) as an alternative to 150 semester hours. Proponents said the change aims to expand the pipeline, especially in rural areas; no opposition was recorded.
The Committee on Federal and State Affairs heard testimony in support of House Bill 2573, a proposal to change Kansas CPA licensure standards overseen by the Kansas Board of Accountancy.
Kyle, committee staff, said the bill would remove the current term 'substantial equivalency' from statute and replace it with explicit criteria in section 8 of the bill; out-of-state CPAs with active licenses and practice privileges in Kansas would not be affected. Depending on the pathway chosen, a candidate might need one or two years of accounting experience in lieu of additional credit hours, and certain notification or renewal fees would be removed for qualifying licensees.
Representative Bergkamp, a sponsor, described the bill as an expansion of pathways that could help rural Kansas retain talent: ‘‘now instead of having to stay an extra year or 2, they're able to go back home and maybe start working for the local CPA firm, where they can study for the exam, and work concurrently,’’ she said.
Danielle Hologram, president and CEO of the Kansas Society of Certified Public Accountants, told the committee the society supports the bill and that more than 20 other states have enacted similar reforms. ‘‘House bill 25 73 modernizes the Kansas accountancy statutes to help address the workforce challenges that we spoke about this morning,’’ Hologram said.
Darby Alquist, an associate at Lloyd Group LLC, described personal barriers to returning to school for additional credit hours and said hands-on experience strengthens professional competence: "This bill provides a more realistic and inclusive pathway to licensure while maintaining the integrity and standards of the profession." Aaron Dunn, a Board of Accountancy member and past chair, said the board worked with the society on technical edits and that the reform should help attract and retain CPAs across public accounting, government and industry.
Committee members asked whether other states have adopted similar pathways and whether exam passage rates differ; proponents said the legislation has been enacted in many states but that passage-rate data are not yet available because the reforms are recent. With no neutral or opposing oral testimony, the committee closed the hearing on HB 2573.
