Legislative Action Center

TXCPA Wins Big at the Capitol

AUSTIN - TXCPA advocacy efforts to increase the number of CPAs entering the profession were highly successful during the Texas Legislative session. One bill was signed into law and another is on the way to the Governor! Many thanks to bill sponsors Rep. Angie Chen Button and Sen. Charles Perry. (5/19/23)
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120 Hours to Test

SB 159 status | Signed by Governor on May 13. It takes effect on Sept. 1, 2023.
Summary -120 Hours

Fifth-Year Scholarship and TPAA

HB 2217 | The fifth-year scholarship bill was amended into HB 2217 (a TPAA clean up bill) and has been approved by the Texas House and Senate. It has been sent to the Governor (5/17)
Summary - Fifth-Year scholarship

The bill expands the TSBPA fifth-year scholarship program to make scholarship funds available to more accounting students. Funds will be available to those students that have completed at least 15 hours of upper-level accounting courses. This legislation is an important piece of TXCPA’s pipeline initiative.

HB 2217 (TPAA Updates) is a statutory cleanup of various provisions of the Texas Public Accountancy Act. HB 2217 removes some obsolete provisions of the Act and modernizes and improves some language. HB 2217 does not make any substantive changes to the Act. HB 2217 has been brought forward by the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy.

CPA Pipeline Strategy
Filling the Accounting Profession Pipeline - Challenges Facing Students and Employers
Eight Ways to Fill the Pipeline
The Pipeline Problem

News

The Session Ends … Then Begins Again … Then Ends (Maybe?) | Last Week in the Legislature (6-2-23)
TXCPA Wins Big at the Capitol | Last Week in the Legislature (5-18-23)
The Legislative Games Continue | Last Week in the Legislature (5-12-23)
The Clock is Ticking | Last Week in the Legislature (5-5-23)
Texas Utility Chair Raises Threat of Summer Power Outages (5-3-23)
New Economic Incentive Plan Clears Hurdle in Texas House (5-4-23)
The Final Month | Last Week in the Legislature (4-27-23)
Moving Week | Last Week in the Legislature (4-21-23)
Texas Senate Passes Budget plan, Kicking Off Negotiations with the House (4-17-23)
Tensions Rising | Last Week in the Legislature (4-14-23)
Spending the Surplus – Budget Week(s) Ahead | Last Week in the Legislature (4-7-23)
Hurry Up and Wait | Last Week in the Legislature (3-31-23)
Rainy Day Fund Benefits from a Texas Tax Revenue Gusher | Fiscal Notes (3-2023)
Senate Finance Committee Proposes Billions for Teacher Raises, Lower Property Taxes and Water Projects | (3-27-23)
Full Speed Ahead | Last Week in the Legislature (3-24-23)
Texas House Committee Budget Includes Property Tax Cuts | (3-23-23)
Texas Senate Passes $16.5 Billion Package to Lower Property Taxes | (3-22-23)
Big Moves - TXCPA’s Legislative Agenda Makes Significant Progress | Last Week in the Legislature (3-17-23)
The Busy Season Officially Begins | Last Week in the Legislature (3-10-23)
Leaders Push to Replace Expired Tax Break with a New One | (3-1-23)
Electricity Grid Market Reform Plan | (3-1-23)
The Calm Before the Storm | Last Week in the Legislature (2-24-23)
Gov. Abbott gets behind plan to cut Texas sales taxes | San Antonio Express-News (2-24-23)
Speaker Phelan Outlines His Priorities | (2-23-23)
Proposed Legislation Creates 51 New Causes of Action and 53 New Penalties Against Businesses, 19 Causes of Action and 21 Penalties Against Health Care Providers | Texas Civil Justice League (2-9-23)
Abbott Wants Economic Development Program Revamped | (2-22-23)
Texas Taxes Field Guide | Texas Comptroller (2-17-23)
Texas Tax Exemptions and Tax Incidence Report | Texas Comptroller (2-3-23)
The Pace Picks Up | Last Week in the Legislature (2-17-23)
Governor Proposes Devoting $15 Billion to Property Tax Cuts in Budget Plan | (2-17-23)
Abbott Calls for Legislative Action on School Choice, Property Taxes and Fentanyl | (2-16-23)
Lt. Governor Announces His Top 30 Priorities | (2-13-23)
Slowly Gaining Speed | Last Week in the Legislature (2-10-23)
The Fight for Property Tax Cuts | (1-31-23)
Everything You Wanted to Know about the Revenue Estimate | (1-31-23)
Members Meet with Legislators in Austin on Advocacy Day 2023 | (1-26-23)
Starting Slowly | Last Week in the Legislature (1-27-23)
Texas Led Country in New Jobs in 2022 (1-24-23)
Patrick Says He’ll Run for Reelection in 2026 (1-24-23)
Patrick Unveils Senate Committee Assignments (1-23-23)
Budget Proposals Leave More than $50 Billion up for Grabs (1-18-23)
Hegar: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Legislative Session (1-18-23)
Off and Running | Last Week in the Legislature (1-17-23)
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Talks Property Taxes and Border Security at Inauguration for Third Term (1-17-23)
Watch: Four New Texas House Members Discuss Immigration, Property Taxes and Public School Financing (1-8-23)
Texas Comptroller Releases Biennial Revenue Estimate (1-9-23)
Preview of the 2023 Legislative Session (12-20-22)

TXCPA Legislative Agenda

120 Hours to Sit for the CPA Exam
Expand Fifth-Year State Board Scholarship
Proper Regulatory Oversight of the CPA License
Oppose Sales Tax on Professional Services
Monitoring State Tax Legislation

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