Legislative wrap-up: a summary of CalCPA's advocacy in 2011-12.

• Author: Allen, Bruce C.
• Position: CapitolBeat

Late Sept. 9 the California Legislature wrapped up the first year of the 2011-12 legislative session. Several hundred of the more than 2,000 hills introduced were passed on to Gov: Jerry Brown for either a signature into law or a veto. Many bills passed that were important to the CFA profession such as CalCPA-sponsored Senate Bill 773 by-Sen. Negrete McLeod and Assembly Bill 431 by Assemhlvmember Fiona Ma.

Some bills were passed despite opposition from CalCPA and other business interests. Below are the bills that will have the biggest impact on CalGPA members and the CPA profession. All are awaiting action by the governor.

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CalCPA Supported

SB 773 (Negrete McLeod): Kthics education for CPAs licensed after Jan. 1, 2014. A CalCPA-sponsored bill, SB 773 codifies the California Board of Accountancy Ethics Curriculum Committee's recently adopted Ethics Study Guideline to fill the 10 semester units in ethics required by Senate Bill 819, enacted in 2009. Also sponsored by CalCPA, SB 773 helps give students and schools a better idea about the courses that will be required for licensing after Jan. 1, 2014. Without this measure, the regulatory process could take until November 2012, impacting students already well into their college education.

AB 431 (Ma): Retired license for CPAs. Sponsored by the CBA, this bill provides an option for retiring CPAs who are proud of their many years of service to the accounting profession to still display the designation.

SB 306 (de Leon): Reinstates an expired five-day grace period for out-of-state CPAs to complete a California, practice privilege application. 'The bill also clarifies which minor interstate activities do not require a practice privilege. This will provide the necessary time allowance and flexibility lor CPAs engaging in the temporary practice of public accounting in California to properly notify the CBA.

SB 543 (Steinberg and Price): This bill extends the sunset date for the CBA, extends the sunset lor mandatory peer reviews and eliminates an unnecessarv restatement-filing requirement.

CalCPA Opposed

SB 459 (Corbett): This bill increases fines, to a minimum of So.000, for employers or persons who violate labor laws by willfully misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Additionally it would hold anyone knowingly advising an employer or person to misclassify employees jointly and severally liable lor any fines and penalties. CalCPA argued that because the law in this...