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This week, more than 1,000 FICPA members sent letters to their Florida House Representatives voicing their strong opposition to the deregulation of the profession. Though the language has passed the House, Friday was neither the final vote nor the end of this process.

On Tuesday morning, a proposed committee substitute for HB 991 – Community and Economic Development by Rep. Giallombardo passed the House Commerce Committee. This bill – which is the next step on the path to total CPA deregulation – is now ready to be heard by the full Florida House, and we need you to contact your state representatives now.

This week HB 1461 was heard in its second committee, the House State Administration Budget Subcommittee. Once again, FICPA President & CEO Shelly Weir spoke in committee to provide information on the bill highlighting the FICPA’s position and explaining the unintended consequences the bill would have on the CPA profession.

On Monday evening, the Florida House of Representatives filed a substantial committee amendment to House Bill 1461 – Department of Business and Professional Regulation that could significantly reshape the state’s approach to occupational and professional licensure.

We're already halfway through Florida's 2025 Legislative Session, and FICPA Governmental Affairs Team is here to update you on the progress of our FICPA priorities to date and to offer a overview of what to expect in the final 30 days.

As the 2025 Session nears its halfway point, the FICPA continues to advocate for its priority legislation and to engage on specific bills with an impact on the CPA profession.

On Wednesday, March 19, the FICPA’s priority legislation, CS/SB 160 – Public Accountancy by Sen. Joe Gruters, unanimously passed the Florida Senate by a vote of 39-0.

In this blog post co-authored by the state societies of California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, we're setting the record straight and providing clarity on what these legislative changes across the country mean for the CPA profession and its future.

The FICPA's priority legislation in the Senate is one of the 10 fastest-moving bills in Tallahassee, demonstrating the strong support and respect CPAs have in the Florida Legislature.

An AICPA Professional Ethics Executive Committee task force is seeking feedback after issuing a discussion memorandum featuring its preliminary conclusions about potential revisions to independence rules related to alternative practice structures. Public comments should be emailed to ethics-exposuredraft@aicpa.org by June 15.

On Day 2 of Florida's 2025 Legislative Session, the FICPA's priority legislation - CS/SB 160 - unanimously passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government. Advancing to a final committee in the Senate this early into Session is a significant accomplishment.

As states explore alternative CPA licensure pathways, CPA society representatives, including the FICPA's Shelly Weir, addressed the misconception that they want to remove the 150-hour requirement during a recent webinar.

The American Institute of CPAs and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy are seeking comment over the next 60 days on proposed changes to the profession’s model law that would enable an additional path to CPA licensure.

The U.S. Treasury Department on Sunday announced that it will not enforce Corporate Transparency Act reporting requirements against U.S. citizens or domestic reporting companies. The Treasury Department will further be issuing a proposed rulemaking that will narrow the scope of the rule to foreign reporting companies only.

FinCEN on Thursday announced that it will not issue any fines or penalties or take any other enforcement actions against any companies based on any failure to file or update beneficial ownership information (BOI) reports pursuant to the Corporate Transparency Act by the current deadlines.

The FICPA's priority legislation, Senate Bill 160, passed unanimously out of its first committee stop, Senate Regulated industries, on Tuesday. We thank the legislators on the committee for their support. Reaching this step before Session even starts is a fantastic news.

More than 3,500 employees in the Small Business/Self-Employed (SB/SE) division of the IRS will lose their jobs this week, according to an email sent to IRS managers on Wednesday. The Associated Press, The New York Times, and other outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported higher totals of IRS employee terminations.

Following a federal court ruling on Tuesday, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has announced that "for the vast majority of reporting companies, the new deadline to file an initial, updated, and/or corrected BOI report is now March 21, 2025."

A federal district court lifted the last remaining nationwide injunction stopping beneficial ownership information (BOI) filing requirements, but the federal enforcement agency has promised at least a 30-day delay before new filings will be required.

AICPA leaders said Sunday the IRS should consider the needs of taxpayers and preparers as officials make plans to carry out President Donald Trump's direction to cut the federal workforce. "Americans deserve a fully functioning agency that can be respected by taxpayers and their preparers, thereby allowing them to comply with their tax obligations," AICPA President and CEO Mark Koziel, CPA, CGMA, said.