Rep. West's Bill To Reduce Hours Required To Sit For CPA Exam Moves To Governor's Desk

COLUMBUS- State Rep. Thomas West (D-Canton) today announced that House Bill (HB) 442, his bipartisan bill with Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) to enact Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensure reform, has cleared the legislature after the House concurred Senate amendments. The bill now moves to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

“I am grateful to our colleagues in the Senate for taking action on this important legislation,” said West. “HB 442 is a student-friendly bill that makes the process of taking the CPA exam more flexible for aspiring CPAs. This simple change will make Ohio more competitive and a better place for these students to study and ultimately work. I look forward to Governor DeWine signing this commonsense legislation into law.”

HB 442 will allow students who have completed 120 credit hours to sit for all four parts of the CPA exam, thus providing them more flexibility to take the exam when they feel most prepared. Under current law, students are required to complete 150 credit hours before sitting for the exam. It is important to note that students will still be required to complete 150 credit hours in order to become licensed; HB 442 will merely change the threshold at which students can take the exam.

The Senate Transportation, Workforce and Commerce Committee did accept an amendment to HB 442, which implemented various occupational licensing reforms recommended by the House State and Local Government Committee in its December 2019 Occupational Licensing Review Report.

HB 442 awaits Gov. Mike DeWine’s signature before becoming law.