State Board of Accountancy Votes Unanimously to Pursue Mobility

Acting at its October 2, 2007 regular meeting, the Connecticut State Board of Accountancy unanimously voted to introduce and promote legislation in Connecticut to allow CPA licensees from other states to enter Connecticut without notification or fee and who, by extension, agree to submit to regulation by the Connecticut state board.

The State Board of Accountancy will introduce the mobility legislation in the 2008 General Assembly.

This legislation will be consistent with the latest version of the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA, March 2007). The one exception to the “no notification rule” would be an out-of-state firm entering this jurisdiction to audit an entity headquartered in Connecticut. Again, this is consistent with current UAA language.

“The concept of mobility has been considered by our State Board and by many other state boards for several years; in its current form, the concept seems to have matured to the point where we feel the time is right both for the profession and the state of Connecticut,” said Connecticut State Board of Accountancy Chairman Thomas F. Reynolds. “One of our primary goals is to protect the public, and we feel in this case the public will be adequately protected.”

Currently, 10 states have mobility in place, and the national trend is on the upswing.

The Connecticut Society of CPAs formally supports mobility as proposed by the State Board of Accountancy.

“I applaud Tom and the State Board of Accountancy for taking this action,” said CSCPA President John J. Palmeri. “I want our members to know that pursuing mobility here in Connecticut makes great sense, especially as many other states have already established or are considering establishing mobility rules similar to those being proposed here in Connecticut. This uniformity of mobility rules will allow all of our members who practice in other states to do so much more efficiently and without unwittingly violating (registration) laws.

“Uniform mobility rules,” President Palmeri noted, “will be good for CSCPA members and good for our fellow practitioners in others states as well.”

An article on the topic of mobility in Connecticut will appear in the November/December issue of Connecticut CPA magazine.