News

Earlier this month the 102^nd Michigan Legislature convened bringing in 74 freshman legislators to the new session. None of the sitting legislators are CPAs. Last week, committee assignments were announced. While every legislative committee sees proposals that could affect CPAs, the committees that most directly impact the profession are Regulatory Reform and Tax Policy in the House of Representatives and Regulatory Reform and Finance in the Senate. Both committees and their leadership are tasked with determining which legislation will receive a hearing or a vote before being sent to the floor for consideration. Building strong relationships with the elected officials serving on these committees and fostering an understanding of our profession, its issues, and how decisions made in Lansing impact CPAs are of utmost priority and importance to the MICPA.

The Regulatory Reform Committee in both the House and the Senate is charged with holding hearings and voting on legislation that impacts licensed professions in our state. This means any bill seeking to deregulate the profession or change licensure requirements in Michigan would be sent to this committee for consideration. Representative Tyrone Carter (D – Detroit) has been given the chairmanship for the current session in the House with Senator Jeremy Moss (D – Southfield) chairing the committee in the Senate.

The House Tax Policy Committee reviews any proposed changes to the tax structure in our state before they are sent to the floor. The MICPA maintains a strong relationship with the members of this committee to ensure that we have a seat at the table when proposals are being considered. The focus of the MICPA is on technical expertise rather than rates, our job is to help avoid unintended consequences that can be produced by legislation and to act as a resource for legislators serving on this committee. This is an active group every legislative session and has already proven to be crucial this term with the first bill of the 102^nd legislature being a repeal of the 2011 “retirement tax”. For the current legislative session, Representative Cynthia Neeley (D – Flint) will chair the committee. The Senate Finance, Insurance, and Consumer Protection Committee serves the same role as the Tax Policy Committee in the House, considering any proposals that would impact tax structure in our state. Senator Mary Cavanagh (D – Redford Township) will chair the Finance Committee.

The MICPA has already begun fostering relationships and highlighting the profession particularly to the leadership of each committee. With a number of these elected officials serving on profession- critical committees being freshman, it is more important than ever that we have your support to continue our work in Lansing. Our mission is to ensure that the CPA voice is heard when legislation impacting you, your organization or clients is moving through the legislative process. If you have a relationship with an elected official or would like to be involved in our advocacy efforts, please reach out to Rachel Reardon at rreardon@micpa.org