TX Board Answers Regulation Limitation

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All Texas agencies were asked to submit to Governor Greg Abbott by December 1, 2019 their plans for limiting regulations, reducing fees and removing licensing barriers for people with criminal records where appropriate. The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy replied in a letter to the Governor in mid-November 2019:

In early 2020 the Board will review all of its rules, giving prominent consideration to the objectives stated in the Governor’s letter.
The Board is extensively revising its Chapter 525 rules to address ”blanket exclusions for persons with criminal records, identify criminal offenses that could disqualify a person from licensure or maintaining an occupational license, and establish criteria that directly relate to the practice of public accountancy that might disqualify a candidate for licensure.”
The Board is considering reduction in application fees for Texas residents who are eligible for public assistance.

Texas Board Executive Director William Treacy pointed out to the Governor: “All of the states have been determined to have ‘substantially equivalent’ [CPA] regulatory programs. As a result all CPAs in the U.S. have access to each other state without a requirement of notice or a licensing fee. This ‘substantial equivalency’ provides a mechanism to accommodate military transfers.”

A survey of the prevailing Accountancy Boards’ fees found Texas already has a license application fee that is 75 percent or less of the national average for the CPA.