04/23/2018 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE

SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 147                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act  relating to the  Board of  Public Accountancy;                                                                    
     relating to  the licensure  of public  accountants; and                                                                    
     relating to the practice of public accounting."                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
9:05:57 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair MacKinnon relayed that the bill was presented on                                                                       
April 18, 2018; and the public hearing was opened and                                                                           
closed.                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STEVE THOMPSON, SPONSOR, offered a Sponsor                                                                       
Statement:                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     SSHB 147 is  a bill that updates the  statutes in Title                                                                    
     8 (Business and Professions), Chapter 4 (Accountants).                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     The   National   Association   of   State   Boards   of                                                                    
     Accountancy  (NASBA)  and  the  American  Institute  of                                                                    
     Certified  Public  Accountants   (AICPA)  provided  the                                                                    
     Alaska   Board   of   Public  Accountancy   under   the                                                                    
     Department   of  Commerce,   Community,  and   Economic                                                                    
     Development with  a summary of  areas where  the Alaska                                                                    
     statutes and regulations  for public accountancy differ                                                                    
     from  the Uniform  Accountancy Act  or AICPA's  Code of                                                                    
     Professional Conduct.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     The  proposed statute  changes  will  align the  Alaska                                                                    
     statutes  and regulations  for public  accountancy with                                                                    
     these national organizations.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
     Many  of  the  changes  in the  bill  are  housekeeping                                                                    
     items.  Some   changes  expand  existing   language  to                                                                    
     provide  more  information   or  clarity,  while  other                                                                    
    changes remove unnecessary language or condense it.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Senator Olson asked whether  older accountants had displayed                                                                    
resistance to the regualtion changes.                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
9:08:37 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Representative Thompson  stated that he had  not encountered                                                                    
opposition to the bill.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:09:21 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Vice-Chair Bishop MOVED to report  SSHB 147 out of Committee                                                                    
with individual recommendations  and the accompanying fiscal                                                                    
note. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SSHB  147 was  REPORTED out  of committee  with a  "do pass"                                                                    
recommendation  and  with  one previously  published  fiscal                                                                    
impact note: FN 1(CED).                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:09:49 AM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:11:13 AM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED