Seeing double: Pathways bill introduced in Minnesota House
February 25, 2025 | Geno Fragnito
Make it a twofer.
House File 1458 was introduced yesterday in the House State and Local Government Finance and Policy Committee. It’s the second pathways and automatic mobility bill introduced at the Minnesota Legislature in the past week and the companion to
Senate File 1536, which was introduced Feb. 17 in the Senate State and Local Government Committee.
Like the Senate version, the House companion bill has bipartisan support. It’s carried by Rep. Scott Van Binsbergen, a Republican, and coauthored by Reps. John Huot, Bianca Virnig, Steve Elkins, all from the DFL caucus, and Republican Reps. Greg Davids and Wayne Johnson.
The legislation would create
additional pathways to CPA licensure by allowing for a bachelor’s degree along with two years of general work experience or a master’s degree with one year of general work experience; this would join the current path of 150 hours and one year of general work experience. None of the education and experience paths would change the requirement to pass the CPA exam. A candidate must pass the exam to become licensed — the ultimate bar to enter the profession.
The legislation also includes automatic mobility and changing the regulations to make the Minnesota Board of Accountancy the entity determining substantial equivalency, not NASBA’s National Quality Appraisal Service (NQAS).
These changes don’t solve the entire
talent pipeline problem but they do address barriers identified in several research studies. The research has shown that the cost of additional education is a significant barrier to many would-be CPAs. It also shows that 150 hours has resulted in a 15% reduction in first-time CPA exam candidates after the 150-credit requirement was implemented with the decline aggregating over multiple years. Additionally, the research shows no increase in work quality after 150 hours were implemented.
There has been much change since 2023 when the MNCPA was the first state to introduce and support legislation creating additional paths to become a CPA. Since then,
nearly 30 states have followed the MNCPA lead and have or are expected to introduce similar legislative changes to create additional pathways to licensure.
Ohio has already signed new pathways and automatic mobility into law this year. Last week, Virginia passed similar legislation through its House and Senate. It now waits a signature from Gov. Glenn Youngkin to make it law.
The MNCPA will continue to update you as our bills progress through the Minnesota Legislature.
Learn more about additional pathways to licensure
Topics: Legislative & Government Affairs, Professional Certification
Geno Fragnito
Geno Fragnito is the MNCPA government relations director, advocating on behalf of the CPA profession. His days consist of last-minute meeting changes, building relationships with lawmakers, helping CPAs navigate state government, and putting in more than 15,000 steps per day walking the halls of the Capitol. Geno unwinds with a little golf and traveling with his family. If he weren’t a lobbyist, Geno would perfect his cast and be a professional fisherman. Geno can be reached at 952-885-5550 or gfragnito@mncpa.org.
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