Statement of Scope
Accounting Examining Board
Relating to:
|
Education required for
examination and
certification
|
1. Finding/nature of emergency (Emergency Rule only):
A
dministrative
rules
that went into effect on June 1
,
2016,
changed the education requirements for candidates to take the certified public accountant (CPA) examination or be certified in Wisconsin as a CPA. S
ome
candidates
who, as of June 1, 2016, had
completed or were
in
the process of completing
their
education
according to the requirements in effect on May 31, 2016,
do
not
or will not
meet the education
requirements
as revised.
This
proposed
rule will
help ensure
the
opportunity for these individuals
to be employed or start a business
as
a CPA
in Wisconsin is not
delayed or denied.
A
n expeditious promulgation of this rule is in the best interest of Wisconsin’s economy and public welfare
,
as
this will prevent
some students who
have completed or are nearing completion of
programs
meeting the
education requirements
in effect on May 31, 2016,
from having to take additional coursework
to
meet
the current
education requirements
.
2. Detailed description of the objective of the proposed rule:
The Accounting Examining Board will update ch.
Accy 2
to
provide that,
prior to June 1, 2017,
a candidate
may qualify
to take the
CPA examinatio
n
or
be certified in
Wisconsin as a CPA
under
either the educational requirements
in effect
on May 31, 2016, or as revised effective June 1, 2016
.
3. Description of the existing policies relevant to the rule, new policies proposed to be included in the rule, and an analysis of policy alternatives:
Chapter
Ac
cy 2
contains the education requirements for candidates for the CPA examination and Wisconsin certification
as a CPA.
If the rules are not updated,
some
candidates who
, as of June 1, 2016,
completed or
were
in the process of completing their education
will not meet the education requirements to take the certified public accountant (CPA) examination or be certified in Wisconsin as a CPA.
4. Detailed explanation of statutory authority for the rule (including the statutory citation and language):
Section
15.08 (5) (b)
, Stats., provides examining boards “shall promulgate rules for its own guidance and for the guidance of the trade or profession to which it pertains. . .”
Section
442.04 (5
)
(b) 3.
, Stats.,
provides the B
oard may not grant a certificate as a certified public accountant to any person other than a person who “has completed at least 150 semester hours of education at an institution that include course work in accounting and business subjects, as determined by the examining board, and has received a bachelor's or higher degree.”
Section
442.04 (5) (b) 4.
, Stats., provides
a person is not eligible to take the CPA examination “unless the person has completed at least 120 semester hours of education at an institution that include course work in accounting and business subjects, as determined by the examining board.”
5. Estimate of amount of time that state employees will spend developing the rule and of other resources necessary to develop the rule:
State employees will spend approximately
80
hours developing the proposed rule.
6. List with description of all entities that may be affected by the proposed rule:
Candidates for the CPA examination and Wisconsin
certification
as a CPA
7. Summary and preliminary comparison with any existing or proposed federal regulation that is intended to address the activities to be regulated by the proposed rule:
None.
8. Anticipated economic impact of implementing the rule (note if the rule is likely to have a significant economic impact on small businesses):
The proposed rule will have minimal to no economic impact on small businesses and the state’s economy as a whole.
