Senate committee advances bill to broaden CPA licensure pathways

Senate Bill 76, aimed at modernizing how candidates qualify for certified public accountant licensure in Colorado, was advanced unanimously by the Senate Business, Labor and Technology Committee on a voice roll call and placed on the consent calendar.

Senator Linstead, a prime sponsor, told the committee the legislation responds to a "tremendous shortage of CPAs in Colorado, and nationally," and said the measure would "streamline that process" to help CPAs enter the workforce and serve businesses and nonprofits across the state.

The bill preserves passage of the uniform CPA examination and a board-approved ethics exam while creating three pathways to licensure, Senator Frissell said: a post-baccalaureate or master27s pathway with one year of verified work experience; a bachelor27s degree plus 30 semester credit hours (as determined eligible by the State Board of Accountancy) with one year27s experience for career changers; and a bachelor27s degree combined with two years of verified professional experience allowing substitution of experience for an additional year of coursework. "These changes are not about lowering standards," Claire Pearson of CliftonLarsonAllen said in testimony, adding the bill "preserves essential safeguards, education, examination, ethics and verified experience."

Supporters from across the accounting profession told the committee the change is intended to ease barriers created by the current 150-credit-hour requirement. Alicia Jelinas, CEO of the Colorado Society of CPAs, said the 150-hour requirement "is being viewed as a significant barrier" and noted the bill aligns Colorado with 2025 updates to the Uniform Accountancy Act that more than two dozen states have adopted.

Tobias Clary, a shareholder at Sukup, Bush and Associates, told the committee the profession faces retirements and declining enrollments; he cited an American Institute of Certified Public Accountants figure that "as of 2020, 75 percent of all CPAs were at retirement age." When asked about costs for additional coursework, Clary estimated that obtaining a master's year at Colorado State University would cost around $25,000, a figure members used to illustrate the financial barrier for some candidates.

Student testimony highlighted access concerns. Nicole Garcia, a public-accounting major at Colorado Mesa University, described herself as a "nontraditional student" who works full time and said that recognizing accounting-related work experience in lieu of additional academic credits "is a game changer for me." Alexandria Romero, a CPA and former director of finance for the city of Pueblo, said the measure would broaden opportunity for students in rural and nonmetropolitan areas and improve access to licensed professionals in local governments.

After witness testimony and brief sponsor remarks, Senator Henriksen moved the bill "to the committee of the whole with a favorable recommendation." The clerk called the roll; the chair recorded unanimous support and, with sponsor permission and no objections from members, Senate Bill 76 was placed on the consent calendar.

The committee adjourned with no further action on the measure scheduled at this meeting. The next procedural step is consideration by the committee of the whole and then further floor scheduling by Senate leaders.