AICPA Chair highlights CPA mobility in NASBA address

AICPA Chair Eric Hansen, CPA, CGMA, emphasized the CPA profession’s twenty-year push for mobility across state lines in a speech during the 111^th Annual Meeting of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). In his October 29 remarks, Hansen also stressed the importance of continued collaboration between the AICPA and NASBA.

In his speech, Hansen said, “Today, clients aren’t as concerned about the location of a business as they are about that business’s ability to provide the services they need.  And more and more, clients want specialized services. Firm mobility meets this expectation. Just like with individual mobility, the AICPA and NASBA recognize that firm mobility is necessary to remain competitive in today’s borderless economy and to further strengthen our protection of the public interest.”

Hansen also highlighted that while the mobility model is celebrating many successful years, it is also facing new challenges. While discussing the growing trend in occupational licensure reform legislation across the country, he said, “Should these bills start to pass, they could create a patchwork of laws and regulations across the country that could change licensure laws and requirements on a state-by-state basis, affect substantial equivalency, threaten mobility and reciprocity laws and reduce CPAs’ ability to work across state lines.”

Hansen praised the partnership between AICPA and NASBA and said that the collaboration is “essential for our profession to succeed.”