Latest from the State Board

At its Nov. 9, 2006 meeting the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy adopted a revised rule reducing the CPA license fee from the current $60 to $45. The reduced license fee will be effective for licenses renewed in January 2007 and thereafter (Rule 521.1).

Other rules adopted by the State Board include

• Rule 523.144 that permits CPE sponsors that have voluntarily surrendered their registration or had their registration terminated to apply for reinstatement after one year.
• Rule 523.14 which provides for annual registration of CPE sponsors with the Board that register with NASBA. They are exempt from a fee but may be subject to review by the Board.
• Rules 515.1, 515.2 and 515.3, all of which are necessary to allow the Board to issue firm licenses on an annual basis during any month of the calendar year. This will allow the board to spread the license renewal workload for firms just as it has done for individual licenses. Each firm will be assigned a renewal month which shall then remain constant.
• Rule 513.15, which allows a resident manger to supervise more than one office. The rule was issue for public comment in September, and was revised as a result of comments received by the Board. The revised rule allows a resident manager to supervise more than one office and adds a paragraph stating that the resident manager is responsible for the supervision of professional services and "may be held responsible for the violations of the Act Rules for the activities of each office under his supervision."

The Board proposed for an additional rule for public comment:

Final Decisions in Disputed Enforcement Cases.  The board proposed changes to Rule 519.72, Final Decisions and Orders, to make it clear that the final decision in all enforcement cases rests with the board. Even in those cases where a hearing is held before the State Office of Administrative Hearings, the board may depart from the administrative law judge’s proposal for decision. When there is a change to a judge’s proposal for decision, the rule stays the board must state its specific reasons and legal basis for changing the decision.

The proposed rule will be published in the Texas Register, and interested parties may submit comments on the proposed rule changes to

Jerry Hill, General Counsel
Texas State Board of Public Accountancy
333 Guadalupe Tower 3
Ste 900
Austin TX  78701-3900