A dozen NCACPA members and staff recently traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with federal lawmakers and advocate for legislation important to the accounting profession.
The delegation focused on four key priorities, including a Congressional resolution on the fiscal state of the nation, establishing the accounting profession as a STEM career pathway, simplifying the tax filing extension process, and expanding eligible uses of 529 savings plans to include fees and expenses required to obtain or maintain recognized postsecondary credentials, such as the Uniform CPA Exam.
These visits were held in conjunction with the AICPA Spring Meeting of Council on May 23–25 in Washington, D.C.
The group met with in-person with Representative Deborah Ross (D-NC-02) and Representative Jeff Jackson (D-NC-14). Other meetings were with senior staff or legislative aides of Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Representative Don Davis (D-NC-01), Representative Greg Murphy (R-NC-03), Representative Valerie Foushee (D-NC-04), Representative Kathy Manning (D-NC-06), Representative David Rouzer (R-NC-07), Representative Dan Bishop (R-NC-08), Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC-09), Representative Patrick McHenry (R-NC-10), and Representative Alma Adams (D-NC-12).
NCACPA asked the congressional delegation to cosponsor and support:
- The Simplify Automatic Filing Extensions (SAFE) Act would assist the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with receiving extensions earlier in the year, providing taxpayers, CPAs and the IRS with a streamlined process and reducing the need for many penalty abatement requests;
- The Freedom to Invest in Tomorrow’s Workforce Act, a bill that would expand eligible uses of 529 savings plans to include fees and expenses required to obtain or maintain recognized postsecondary credentials, including professional credentials and certifications, and provide accounting professionals with greater financial flexibility as they enter the workforce and seek to further their education;
- The Accounting STEM Pursuit Act, a bill that would establish the accounting profession as a STEM career pathway, recognizing the value of accounting professionals, including CPAs, as technological leaders; and
- The Fiscal State of the Nation resolution, which would require the Comptroller General to make a presentation to a joint session of the House and Senate Budget committees on the Government Accountability Office auditor’s report of the U.S. government’s financial statements. This resolution would promote greater transparency on the information included in the federal government’s financial report.
Participating volunteer leaders from NCACPA included Board Chair Arleen Thomas, Chair-elect Courtney Knoll, Treasurer Jared Korver, Board member Jeanette Franzel, Whitney Gann, Deetra Watson, Jen Leary, as well as AICPA Board member Scott Showalter. NCACPA CEO Sharon Bryson, COO Mark Soticheck, and Director of Advocacy Robert Broome rounded out the group.
If you have questions about this issue or other policy matters, please contact NCACPA Director of Advocacy Robert Broome, CAE.
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