Samoa Now NASBA’s 56th Member

State Board Report

May 2016

The American Samoa Territorial Board of Public Accountancy was approved by the Board of Directors as the 56th member of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy on April 29, 2016. In bringing the American Samoa Board’s request for membership to the NASBA Board, Director-at-Large Laurie J. Tish (WA), who holds American Samoa License No. 11, explained that American Samoa established its Accountancy Law in 1971. It has a three-member Board of Public Accountancy appointed by the Governor, of which all members must be citizens or nationals of the U.S. and residents of Samoa, and two must be CPAs in active practice and one must be a PA in active practice. At the present time, there is no way to become a CPA in Samoa except through reciprocity, and there are approximately 30 such license holders now, Ms. Tish estimated. American Samoa is now the 9th member of the Pacific Region, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington.