Senate approves new alternative pathway to CPA licensure, sends S.2946 to engrossment
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Summary
The Massachusetts Senate voted unanimously to order S.2946, a bill creating an alternative route to Certified Public Accountant licensure intended to lower cost barriers while preserving exam and experience standards.
Senators on the floor approved a measure creating an additional pathway to become a certified public accountant, proponents said, citing workforce shortages and the high cost of the current 150‑credit requirement.
Senator John J. Cronin, sponsor of the measure, told colleagues the bill “has a simple objective to create an alternative pathway to licensure and a career as a certified public accountant, while ensuring that the current rigorous professional standards for education, experience, and exam requirements remain in place.” He described the proposal as preserving standards while allowing candidates to qualify with a bachelor’s degree plus specific coursework, roughly two years of relevant experience, and completion of the uniform CPA exam within a set period.
The bill’s backers said the change aims to lower the cost burden that often requires an extra year of schooling (commonly a master’s) — which they said can add tens of thousands of dollars in tuition and lost earnings — and to increase the pipeline of CPAs for small firms, nonprofits and municipalities. Cronin cited national trends in shrinking CPA exam takers and an aging workforce as drivers for reform.
Supporters noted the measure places Massachusetts alongside other states that have adopted similar alternative pathways. The chamber ordered S.2946 to a third reading and, on the subsequent roll call, the chair announced 37 affirmative votes and none opposed; the bill was passed to be engrossed.
The next procedural step is engrossment and transmission to the governor for approval; the transcript does not record a governor’s action or effective date.
