Press Releases

Lancaster CPA Testifies Before Pa. House Committee

Are Pennsylvania CPAs Held to Different Standards Than Other States?

PHILADELPHIA – Steven J. Geisenberger, a certified public accountant from Lancaster, Pa., shared his concerns over the future of the accounting profession in Pennsylvania in  testimony before members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives this week at the University of Pennsylvania. The House and Senate are reviewing proposed legislation to change Pennsylvania’s CPA Law.

Geisenberger, a partner with Walz Deihm Geisenberger Bucklen & Tennis PC in Lancaster, urged the House Professional Licensure Committee to mandate 150 hours of education for candidates for the CPA designation in Pennsylvania, in addition to other requirements. At the moment, this educational level is only optional in Pennsylvania, but the requirement is a growing national trend, with 48 of 55 jurisdictions mandating the additional education. Pennsylvania’s neighbors – New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, and New Jersey – all embrace the 150-hour requirement.

“This is about our competitiveness with practitioners in other states,” Geisenberger said. “Why should Pennsylvania CPAs be held to a lesser standard than our colleagues in other states?”

The profession has changed significantly in the last 10 years and Geisenberger says Pennsylvania CPAs need to adjust to the complexities.

“We have seen the enactment of the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act in 2001, which is the important legislation impacting the accounting profession and public companies since the early 1930s,” Geisenberger said. “Also, advances in information technology and the complexities of a global economy have dramatically and unalterably affected today’s business world.”

Founded in 1897, the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants is a professional association of more than 19,000 CPAs who work in public accounting, industry, government, and education. PICPA is the second-oldest state CPA organization in the United States. To find a member CPA in your area, visit our Web site at www.picpa.org and click on CPA Locator. Students and educators can visit PICPA's specially designed site www.CPAzone.org to get the latest information about careers in accounting and the CPA profession.