Competency-Based Legislation Passes House Committee; Indiana CPA Society Provides Testimony
Indianapolis, IN (PRWEB) February 07, 2017 -- Indiana is one step closer to becoming the first state in the nation to have competency-based education be an option for license renewal. Today HB 1467 was unanimously passed out of committee and is now headed for a second reading on the House floor. The bill's purpose is to add competency-based education to the current hours-based education model for Indiana CPAs.
The bill, which was introduced on January 19, was heard by the House Employment, Labor and Pensions Committee chaired by Rep. Heath VanNatter (R-Kokomo). The author of the bill is Rep. Martin Carbaugh (R-Fort Wayne), with Rep. Terri Austin (D-Anderson) as the co-author.
INCPAS President & CEO Gary Bolinger, CAE testified at the committee meeting and discussed the current CPA professional education model, other examples of competency-based initiatives, national recommendations for CPAs, and feedback from Indiana CPAs. Highlights of Bolinger's testimony are here.
"INCPAS is continuing to advance alternative methods for CPA license renewal through support of this competency-based legislation which will provide the Indiana Board of Accountancy with options for other learning methodologies for Indiana CPAs," said Bolinger. "This legislation is in direct response to the AICPA Future of Learning Task Force recommendations. It will enable the Board of Accountancy to write rules that are innovative, make learning personal and measure what matters.”
The AICPA's Future of Learning Task Force developed a series of recommendations released in a 2014 report. It describes a new vision for continuing professional development for CPAs based on lifelong learning and competency enhancement.
Competency-based education is an emerging method of education that ensures a certain level of competency in the subject material is learned. Alternatively, hours-based education only counts time spent in a classroom with no proof of subject matter learned.
The Indiana CPA Society is positioned as a leader in competency-based learning. The CPA Center of Excellence®, powered by the Society, offers online competency-based courses in six vital business skills plus a competency-based ethics course.
Indiana CPA Society President & CEO Gary Bolinger, CAE is available for interviews by contacting Dave Shatkowski at (317) 726-5022 or dshatkowski(at)incpas(dot)org. For more information about the CPA Center of Excellence®, contact Jess Halverson Bowyer, strategist - CPA Center of Excellence®, at (317) 726-5027 or jess(at)cpacoe(dot)com.
Elise May, Indiana CPA Society, http://www.incpas.org, +1 (317) 726-5012, [email protected]
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