Three pieces of accountancy legislation supported by the NYSSCPA advanced through the New York state Legislature this session but did not make it over the finish line, in spite of intensive grassroots efforts, a Lobby Day and outreach to influential legislators. The session ended on June 21.

Lilly Ledbetter, who will present a speech on transforming workplace culture at the NYSSCPA’s Women’s Leadership Forum on Jan. 18, 2019, made headlines when she took her employer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, to court over years of pay discrimination. While the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against her, holding that her claim was time-barred, the aftermath prompted the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law in 2009. She took the time to talk to The Trusted Professional about the current state of affairs for professional women, as well as their ongoing challenges.

The NYSSCPA, in a July 25 comment letter, voiced its deep concern over the recent decision by the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) to open the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) credential to finance professionals generally, not just CPAs. In the letter, drafted by members of the Society’s Business Valuation Committee, the Society decried the negative impact the decision will have on the value of the credential and on CPAs who possess it.

In an effort to ensure newly licensed CPAs remain competent in new and emerging skill sets clients and employers have come to expect in the age of blockchain and artificial intelligence, the NYSSCPA is supporting a bill that would require newly licensed CPAs in New York to earn up to 120 credit hours of continuing professional education during the first three years of licensure.