Senate sponsor and accounting group urge new experience-based CPA pathway to ease statewide shortage

Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill 1233 drew supportive testimony in the House committee from its Senate sponsor and representatives of the accounting profession and the State Auditor's Office.

Sen. Curtis Trent (Senate District 20) said the bill creates "a new pathway licensure that leans more heavily on practical experience" while maintaining the uniform examination required for CPAs. He framed the change as a workforce measure to address a growing shortage of CPAs in state government and private practice, and said it would allow practical experience to substitute for some academic credits.

Trent Watson, a registered lobbyist for the Missouri Society of CPAs, told the committee the bill trades 30 additional credit hours for an extra year of relevant work experience; it also contains a reciprocity provision to ease practice across states. Brandon Alexander, chief of staff for the State Auditor's Office, said his office has seen staff shrink "from over 40 CPAs" a decade earlier to 19 now, with many near retirement, and that the office supports the bill to sustain audit capacity.

Representatives of social work and speech-language associations also testified in favor of parallel amendments that would ease training or supervision requirements in those professions. There was no opposition testimony in the record during the committee's hearing on this measure.

The committee's record shows supporters emphasized access to the profession and workforce sustainability while noting standards of competence remain anchored to the existing exam requirement.