advocacy in focus
Ohio sets example for other states with 120/150 hour change By Jessica Salerno-Shumaker, OSCPA senior content manager
Meaningful change within the accounting profession does not happen overnight, but OSCPA’s continual work and investment to build Ohio’s accounting pipeline is paying dividends. Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2021 signed into law House Bill 442, legislation that allows students to sit for the CPA exam at 120 semester hours. It has taken years of work to get to this point. The OSCPA Executive Board in 2017 formed a task force of educators and CPA employers, and the group reached a consensus in support of sitting at 120 hours while maintaining 150 for licensure. A subsequent deep dive in 2018-2019 by OSCPA’s Young CPA Board found strong support for the changes. Ohio State University accounting major students in February 2020 testified at the Ohio Statehouse in support of the change, citing a statewide OSCPA survey of college student members stating that 58.5% did not want to wait as long as the Ohio law requires to take the exam and 89% would be more likely to transfer their scores back to Ohio if Ohio were to become a 120 state.
4 | CPA Voice
During that testimony, OSCPA President & CEO Scott Wiley, CAE, told members of the House Commerce & Labor Committee that HB 442 also will help the Society’s goal of increasing diversity in the profession. “For non-traditional students who need to work while finishing college – a scenario which disproportionately impacts minorities – supportive employers may help with tuition reimbursement or cover the costs of CPA review courses and the test itself. Other employers give a bonus when they become licensed.” The profession – and Ohio – cannot afford to lose out on top talent or diversity. According to a 2019 AICPA Trends Report, enrollment in bachelor’s accounting programs has decreased 4%, and master’s enrollment has decreased 6%. Additionally, according to the 2020 AICPA and CIMA integrated annual report, there was a decline of almost 29% of candidates who sat for the CPA exam from 2017 to 2020.
