HOUSE BILL NO. 126
"An Act extending the termination date of the Board of
Public Accountancy; and providing for an effective
date."
1:37:48 PM
Co-Chair Bishop discussed housekeeping.
1:38:20 PM
TOM WRIGHT, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE STEVE THOMPSON, read from
the sponsor statement for HB 126 (copy on file):
HB 126 extends the termination date for the Board of
Public Accountancy for eight years until June 30,
2029.
Legislative Audit conducted their review of this board
and concluded that "?the board served the public's
interest by conducting meetings in accordance with
state laws, amending certain regulations to improve
the public accountancy occupation, and effectively
licensing and regulating certified public accountants
and partnerships/corporations engaged in the practice
of public accountancy."
The Board of Public Accountancy consists of seven
members appointed by the Governor. Five members are
certified public accountants or public accountants,
and two members are public members.
Extending the Board of Public Accountancy is critical
in protecting the public interest by ensuring that
only qualified persons are licensed, and that
appropriate standards of competency and practice are
established and enforced.
1:39:23 PM
Ms. Curtis referenced the document "A Sunset Review of the
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development,
Board of Public Accountancy (board)" (copy on file). She
relayed that the purpose of the audit was to determine if
there was serving the publics interests and whether its
termination date should be extended. She said it had been
determined that the board was serving the publics interest
and recommended an 8-year extension.
She referenced page 5, which listed the standard licensing
statistics for the board. She relayed that as of January
31, 2020, there were 1,328 active board licenses and
permits; a 10 percent increase from the previous 2012
audit.
1:42:28 PM
Senator Wilson thought it was important to ensure that
investigators had the right tools and resources.
1:43:06 PM
SARA CHAMBERS, DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF CORPORATIONS, BUSINESS
AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSING, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE,
COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (via teleconference),
relayed that there had been several boards under the
division's purview that had concern with the length of time
it took to complete investigations. She said that some
strategic changes had been made which included the addition
of support positions. She said that policies and procedures
had been updated as well as the triage system so that
priority cases were those of life, health, and safety. She
said there was no standard for the length of a case and
that the division sought out resources from their available
budget.
1:45:38 PM
Co-Chair Bishop OPENED public testimony.
1:45:50 PM
LESLIE SCHMITZ, CHAIR, ALASKA BOARD OF PUBLIC ACCOUNTANCY
(via teleconference), thanked the division for its
recommendation. She said that the board worked to stay
active at both state and national levels.
Co-Chair Bishop thanked Ms. Schmitz for her years of
service.
1:47:06 PM
CRISTA BURSON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ALASKA SOCIETY OF CPAS,
ANCHORAGE (via teleconference), testified in support of HB
126. She asserted that the board operated in the public's
interest and should considered for the full 8-year
extension.
1:48:18 PM
Co-Chair Bishop CLOSED public testimony.
Co-Chair Bishop relayed that the deadline for amendments
was May 17, 2021 at 5PM.
HB 126 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.