On June 9, two of NYCPA's key legislative initiatives—e-signature expansion and additional pathways to licensure—reached a big milestone when they both passed unanimously in the New York State Assembly.
The expansion of the e-signature law to include power of attorney, which has now passed both the New York State Senate and Assembly, has been a key focus for the Society. Although the New York Legislature previously passed legislation allowing electronic signatures for tax documents, the law did not include provisions for power of attorney. The legislation's expansion would now let individuals with power of attorney electronically sign documents, streamlining processes for taxpayers and professionals.
Another key piece of legislation that is on the brink of coming into fruition provides an additional pathway to CPA licensure. Assembly Bill A7613B, sponsored by Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes, was passed on June 9 and its companion Senate Bill S6891B is pending approval by the New York State Senate.
The bill proposes an additional pathway to licensure that would allow candidates to qualify with 120 semester hours of education, better known as a bachelor’s degree in accounting and two years of supervised professional experience.
This alternative complements the traditional 150-hour pathway with one year of experience, giving aspiring CPAs more flexibility while maintaining rigorous competency standards.
The bill also defines full-time and part-time work requirements and specifies what constitutes acceptable experience, including work in public accounting, government or academia under the supervision of a licensed CPA.
Crucially, A7613 also aims to update New York’s CPA mobility provisions, shifting toward an “individual-based” model that allows licensed CPAs from other states to practice in New York if they meet comparable requirements. This change aligns with nationwide efforts to ease cross-state practice for CPAs without lowering licensure standards.
“It is almost unheard-of passing legislation in New York in one legislative session, but we are on the verge of not only passing one of the most vital to the profession pieces of legislation that we introduced this year, but we out did ourselves by already passing a piece of legislation that has been active on our Legislative Agenda for some time now,” Calvin Harris Jr. said.
The progress of these bills marks the success of NYCPA's legislative initiatives, which the Society steadfastly promoted and supported. The success of these bills is a testament to the efforts of the NYCPA's Government Relations Team and all the members who participated in the most recent Lobby Day in mid-May.