Reflecting on 2012: a successful year advocating for the profession.

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

As 2012 comes to a close with the whirlwind of the holiday season, it's important to pause and take a look at the events of the last year. CalCPA had a successful year of advocating and promoting the CPA profession in the halls of the state capitol. With your assistance, we were able to fend oil numerous policy proposals that would have negatively affected the CPA profession in California--including sales tax on services, onerous municipal audit regulations, income tax appeals changes and additional registration requirements for taxpayer advocates.

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We were also able to accomplish many other objectives. After finalizing the new 150-hour education requirements For licensure, we worked with the California Hoard of Accountancy, colleges, universities and firms to develop resources and aggressively reach out to students and CPA candidates to inform them of the changes and what it means for their licensure process.

Most notably, we successfully navigated our interstate practice legislation through the Legislature to the governor's desk for his signature. This landmark mobility legislation has been a long-term goal of CalCPA. When it takes effect in July 2013, it will reduce the regulatory burdens of CPAs serving clients with a presence in multiple states.

Looking Ahead to 2013

This month the California Legislature will convene an organizational session to kick off the first year of the 2013-14 Legislative session. Similarly. CalCPA will kick-off its advocacy effort for the upcoming legislative year at CPA Day Jan. 23. This new session will have many new faces, hundreds of new bills, unprecedented Democratic control and many challenges and opportunities for the CPA profession.

Here are some of the major questions going into this upcoming legislative year.

What is on the agenda for the new batch of legislators? Over the next few months we will be watching these newly elected individuals to get a sense of what is on their agenda for the next year. We will see what bills they introduce, which bills they support, which bills they oppose and who steps into leadership roles.

What will the Democrats do with their super-majority? They were able to capture a two-thirds super-majority in both the Assembly and the Senate. The last time there was a super-majority in both houses was in 1933. This unprecedented control of the Legislature and all statewide executive offices will allow the party to pass through almost any policy agenda it...