Accountancy Board of Ohio discusses national agenda topics

By Laura Hay, CPA, CAE, OSCPA executive vice president

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. This is why OSCPA represents the profession at every ABO meeting, and advocates for best-practice rulemaking. The ABO met on Dec. 7-8, 2022, to discuss a variety of topics. Significant actions included:

• The ABO discussed hot topics from the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) annual meeting, including:
  • How is the definition of “principal place of business” changing in a remote work environment?
  • Do requirements for “retired” license statuses reflect current business realities?
  • Occupational licensing threats in a deregulatory environment. 
• Ken Bishop, NASBA President and CEO, and Rick Resig, NASBA Chair, joined the meeting. Discussion items included:
  • Preparation for CPA Evolution and 2024 changes to the CPA Examination
  • Legislative threats, including:
    • Anti-regulatory bills that would weaken state boards
    • Pipeline challenges in U.S. CPA candidates (growth is being seen internationally)
  • Economic disruptors
  • Diversity challenges
  • College deferrals
  • Firms spinning off clients to manage capacity 
• For the first time, Ohio will have four representatives in NASBA leadership, including Mike Fritz, CPA, Kenya Watts, CPA, Gerald Weinstein, CPA and John Patterson, ABO Executive Director.
  
• Robert Fay, CPA, presented an update on the activities of The Ohio CPA Foundation. The ABO reaffirmed their commitment of $50,000 to Ohio student DEI programs.
  
• Two formal hearings were conducted. In each case, the CPA’s individual license and firm registration were revoked for failure to renew the license or registration.
  
• The ABO budget submission was discussed.