Tax revenues were back on target in May after a slide over the past several months that turned a $200 million-plus overage into a $400 million-plus shortfall in collections, according to preliminary figures from the Office of Budget and Management (OBM).

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued its final rule on April 23 banning virtually all noncompete agreements covering workers in the United States. Absent a successful court challenge, the rule will go into effect Sept. 4, 2024.

On May 9, the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity, of which OSCPA is a member, sent a letter to the Department of Labor urging them to delay until at least Sept. 1, 2024, the first increase to the minimum salary threshold under the DOL’s new overtime final rule.

The Ohio Society of CPAs government relations team has already hosted three guest speakers during the live portion of the Advance sessions, with one more still on tap for May 14.

Around the country at the state and national levels, discussions continue to take place about potential licensure improvements that will achieve the collective goal of increasing the number of licensed CPAs entering the accounting profession and increasing the number of experienced CPAs who stay in the accounting profession.

As the Joint Committee on Property Tax Review and Reform looks at potential solutions to rising property taxes around the state, one witness told the committee on April 24 that decoupling property taxes from the Fair School Funding Plan "may have very bad consequences," a notion backed by Ohio school officials.

The Accountancy Board of Ohio (ABO), the state government entity charged with licensing, regulating, and when necessary, disciplining CPAs, can significantly affect the practice of all CPAs. That is why OSCPA represents the profession at every ABO meeting and advocates for best-practice rulemaking. This meeting included a variety of topics.

Last week in House session, the Democrats selected Rep. Dani Isaacsohn (D-Cincinnati) as their new minority whip, following the departure of Rep. Jessica Miranda to become Hamilton County auditor in the wake of former Rep. Brigid Kelly’s death.

Gov. Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Development Director Lydia Mihalik Wednesday announced the awarding of more than $154 million in grants to fund economic development projects in Ohio's Appalachian region as they made stops in McArthur and Chillicothe.

OSCPA reached out directly last week to Ohio’s 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and two U.S. senators to ask them to support legislation that incorporates accounting education into the STEM curricula for K-12 students. This effort is part of OSCPA’s broader goal of increasing the pipeline of future Ohio CPAs.