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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana updates certified public accountant licensing, education requirements, and out-of-state practice rules
Last action · June 2, 2026: Effective date: 08/01/2026.Sponsor: Beau Beaullieu
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What This Bill Does
Act 653 updates regulations for certified public accountants in Louisiana by modifying board membership requirements, establishing new educational pathways and exam timelines, and revising out-of-state practice mobility privileges. The measure takes effect on August 1, 2026.
Changes licensure standards, continuing education deadlines, and out-of-state practice rules for accountants seeking to operate in Louisiana, impacting how CPAs qualify and maintain their credentials.
- The State Board of Certified Public Accountants of Louisiana regulates the practice of certified public accountants within the state. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
certified public accountants
Certified public accountants are subject to updated board regulations, licensing standards, and professional mobility practice rules.
applicants for CPA certificates
Applicants must meet revised educational pathways, experience durations, and examination completion deadlines to obtain certification.
Key Facts
- The State Board of Certified Public Accountants consists of seven members appointed by the governor, selected from diverse practice areas including tax, audit, and education.
- Board members are appointed from a list of three or more names submitted by the Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants or its successor.
- Applicants for an initial CPA certificate must complete one of three educational pathways involving a baccalaureate or post-baccalaureate degree with an accounting concentration.
- Applicants must complete the educational requirements by December thirty-first of the fifth calendar year following successful completion of the examination, or exam scores become void.
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- Applicants must complete one year of experience for specific educational pathways, or two years for a baccalaureate pathway without additional hours, verified by a licensee.
- Out-of-state CPAs in good standing from states with substantially equivalent requirements may be granted mobility practice privileges in Louisiana.
- The board may adopt rules allowing individuals offering professional services to be granted practice privileges without giving notice or paying a fee.
- R.S. 37:73(19) and 74.1(3) are repealed in their entirety.
Frequently Asked Questions
What educational requirements must CPA applicants complete?
How does the law affect out-of-state certified public accountants?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
20 actions- Jun 2, 2026HouseEnrolledSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 653.
- Jun 2, 2026HouseEffective date: 08/01/2026.
- May 26, 2026HouseSent to the Governor for executive approval.
- May 25, 2026HouseReceived from the Senate without amendments.
- May 25, 2026HouseEnrolledEnrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.
- May 25, 2026SenateEnrolledSigned by the President of the Senate.
Show 14 earlier actions
- May 21, 2026SenateFloorRules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
- May 18, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 14, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 13, 2026SenateCommitteeReported favorably.
- Mar 31, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and International Affairs.
- Mar 30, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Mar 26, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 91, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Mar 25, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 03/26/2026.
- Mar 24, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Mar 23, 2026HouseCommitteeReported favorably (13-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on Commerce.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
- Feb 26, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 26, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on Commerce.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Streamlined Out-of-State CPA Practice
The legislation clarifies and updates out-of-state mobility provisions, allowing the board to waive notice and fee requirements via administrative rules.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance50How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy10Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz15Current news / social attention level
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