Committee approves draft rules to reflect SB 797, removes 120-hour specificity for licensure

The Oregon Board of Accountancy Laws and Rules Committee on Nov. 4 moved to align draft rule language with recent statutory changes under Senate Bill 797, agreeing to remove a specific "120 semester hours" requirement in favor of referencing a bachelor's degree or equivalent pathways.

Martin Piccione, who walked members through Washington'adopted language in members' packets, said the out-of-state board "has landed exactly where the board also wants us to land," describing the approach as allowing a bachelor's, master's, or postbac with specified accounting buckets rather than a rigid 120-hour clause. The committee directed staff to perform a quality-assurance pass to ensure reciprocity rules fully align with the statute ahead of the Nov. 18 meeting and the Jan. 1 implementation date for certain pathways.

Members discussed why reciprocity and initial licensure are treated differently: committee members and staff explained that exam eligibility and licensure standards serve different functions — candidates may sit for the CPA exam under varied state rules, but initial licensure requires confirmation of education, experience and exam (the "three E's"). The committee agreed to finalize language and to fold in investigator Jeremiah's recommended adoption dates offline.

Next steps: staff will QA reciprocity rules to align with SB 797, incorporate the remaining CPE and adoption-date edits, and present revised drafts on Nov. 18. The committee also plans to address town-hall feedback gathered Nov. 17 before finalizing rules.