March 7. 2011 | Andrea Contres
Supporting the GWSCPA and Mobility in DC
As the Marketing Communications Manager of Watkins Meegan, I do not always understand every “accounting term” I hear. Over the last 10 months, I have, however, learned a few, one of which is “accounting mobility”. After getting involved with the Greater Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants (GWSCPA) and its Young Emerging Accountants (YEA), I became interested in the association’s big push for 2011, “Introducing the Mobility Bill to DC.” What really piqued my interest was how much power and passion the group had and how much the organization cared about the well-being of its members. I am assuming that because you are reading an accounting firm’s blog, you know what mobility means to an accountant, but I will explain just in case. Accounting Mobility is the ability of an accountant to receive practicing rights outside of their home jurisdiction, where they have met the requirements to become a CPA and have passed the exam. Being that the DC Metro Area is comprised of three jurisdictions, the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland, I imagine mobility would be a quite a value add to a one jurisdiction CPA who is practicing in all three jurisdictions.
As of right now there are only three states, DC, NY, and HI, that do not have accounting mobility, all of which have legislation in progress. PA, GA, and MA have mobility, but it is only enacted with other states that have mobility. This could present a great competitive disadvantage to DC if other states follow in these reciprocal relationships. (See the map for 2011 mobility coverage for more information.) The GWSCPA has been working with Capitol Hill and DC Council Members Yvette Alexander and Mary Cheh to pass mobility in DC for the last two years. On February 1st, the Council Members introduced the Accounting Mobility Act of 2011 (B1900080). This is the first step, and the GWSCPA hopes legislation victories will follow. If you are interested in learning more about what you can do to assist in gaining mobility in DC, visit the GWSCPA website. To learn more about why mobility is good for DC, click here.
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