Provides for the regulation of certified public accountants and the State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana (EG SEE FISC NOTE SG RV)

House Bill 548 amends Louisiana's certified public accountant regulatory framework by modifying the State Board of Certified Public Accountants' authority and the licensing standards for CPAs. The bill replaces the concept of "substantial equivalency" with "comparable" standards and "mobility practice privileges," updating terminology throughout R.S. 37:73, 74, 75, 76, and 94. It repeals the definitions of "substantial equivalency" and "substantially equivalent" contained in R.S. 37:73(19) and 74.1(3). The legislation restructures educational requirements for initial certificate issuance into three distinct pathways: a bachelor's degree plus thirty additional semester hours with one year of experience, a post-baccalaureate degree with one year of experience, or a bachelor's degree with two years of experience, each including an accounting concentration. The bill also eliminates notification and fee requirements for out-of-state CPAs seeking practice privileges, contingent upon meeting specified educational and examination standards.

The changes affect CPAs seeking licensure in Louisiana, out-of-state CPAs exercising practice privileges, the State Board of Certified Public Accountants in its regulatory operations, and applicants for initial certification. Out-of-state CPAs licensed in good standing in their home states can now practice in Louisiana without registering with the board or paying fees, provided they satisfy the educational pathways and uniform CPA examination requirements established by the bill. Applicants for initial Louisiana certification must demonstrate completion of one of the three specified educational pathways and requisite experience before certificate issuance. The Board's membership composition changes to require explicit selection from diverse practice areas including tax, audit, and education. The Board retains authority to cooperate with foreign regulatory authorities in enforcement matters and gains express power to adopt rules governing mobility practice privileges.

The bill operates within the existing regulatory structure of R.S. 37 governing professional licensing and the conduct of CPAs in Louisiana. It maintains the Board's foundational powers while modernizing licensing reciprocity by adopting language aligned with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy model standards for state mobility. The repeal of the "substantial equivalency" definitions eliminates a previously defined standard and replaces it with "comparable," which the Board may define through administrative rulemaking. The grandfather provision in Section 1, subsection A(2) of the amended statute preserves practice privileges for individuals who held them as of December 31, 2024, ensuring no disruption to existing practitioners. The bill's framework interacts with the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs Board rulemaking, and maintains constitutional compliance with state licensing authority by preserving the Board's discretion to establish standards through rules.