Reciprocity Dies in California

In the end, was it because of race?

The California Board of Accountancy has reportedly voted to drop a controversial proposal to allow out-of-state accountants to practice without registering their qualifications with the state. Did the proposal die because it contained a 150-hour rule that some considered discriminatory to low-income students, especially Hispanics and African-Americans?

Unlike in many states, in California non-accountants are a majority on the board.

The new accountancy bill was a major priority for the nation’s CPA profession.

Meanwhile, the latest state to mandate the change is Pennsylvania, where on July 10 Gov. Rendell signed a bill amending the state CPA law to require 150 credit hours and one year experience. It goes into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

One Response to “Reciprocity Dies in California”

  1. Adrienne

    I would love to see more discussion on if race/income level really was part of this issue.