The Mississippi Society of CPAs (MSCPA) has announced its support for the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL) - a new coalition of advanced professions focused on educating policymakers and the public about the importance of rigorous professional licensing standards.

The MSCPA will support AICPA and NASBA and other ARPL members as they seek to educate and inform lawmakers around the country of the need to maintain standards for highly complex, technical professions like the CPA profession that have a clear impact on the public’s fiscal health and welfare. The coalition was formed to ensure the voices and concerns of the advanced professions are heard amid the growing debate around licensing.

Karen Moody, President and CEO of the MSCPA states, “ARPL fills a critical need in bringing a unique perspective to this debate. ARPL will represent our concerns and bring this critical perspective to the larger debate while carrying this message in our state.”

“Weakening professional licensing standards on a state-by-state basis will destroy the confidence in qualifications and completely disrupt existing mobility models for advanced professions like ours,” warned Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, President and CEO of AICPA. “Employers will be less inclined to accept out-of-state licenses if some states have rigorous requirements and others have weak requirements. The result: it will become more difficult for CPAs to move and maintain their careers across states.”

You can learn more about ARPL and the importance of professional licensing by visiting the group’s newly launched website http://www.responsiblelicensing.org. 

ARPL members include the American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB), the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).