With so many regulators out there, it can be tough to keep track of all the decisions being made. This is the NYSSCPA’s regular series that collects relevant regulatory announcements from the past week, and puts them in one place to help you stay on top of the issues.

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.

In July, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its latest revision of Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS)—also called the Yellow Book—which supersedes the 2011 version. Yellow Book standards are used for audits of governmental agencies, usually on the federal level, as well as for audits of the private entities that contract with them. Susan M. Barossi, chair of the NYSSCPA’s Government Accounting and Auditing Committee, said that the major difference between the 2011 and 2018 versions involves presentation.

While acknowledging that the NYSSCPA is opposed to the changes, the New York State Board for Public Accountancy has approved regulatory language implementing new ethics continuing professional education (CPE) requirements. New York-licensed CPAs will be required to complete two credits of ethics CPE every year, rather than the current four credits every three years. In addition, two out of six credits every three years will have to include a New York state-approved ethics course, while the other four can be in a variety of ethics topics, including behavioral ethics. The changes will apply to registrations ending on or after Jan. 2, 2020, but because of a delay in new regulations going before the Board of Regents for approval, there is a possibility that the changes will go into effect later than that.