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Federal Issues

Comptroller General of the United States 

Gene Dodaro became the eighth Comptroller General of the United States when he was sworn in to office on December 30, 2010.  President Barack Obama nominated Dodaro, the then Acting Comptroller, to head the General Accountability Office on September 22, 2010.  The following statement was made by AICPA CEO and President Barry Melancon upon the President’s nomination:   “We have a long working history with Gene in his role as acting Comptroller General and Chief Operating Officer at the GAO.  As a 37-year veteran of the GAO, his leadership is needed as our nation wrestles with massive and unsustainable budget deficits.  While we believe the Comptroller General should be a Certified Public Accountant, if a non-CPA were to have this role, Gene's background and experience makes us comfortable going forward.”

Prior to Mr. Dodaro's nomination, Representative Colin Peterson, a Minnesota Democrat, and Representative Mike Conaway, a Texas Republican introduced H.R. 4410 on Dec. 19, 2009, to require that the U.S. Comptroller General be a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).  The AICPA believes that as the top auditor of the U.S. government, the person should be a licensed CPA and meet other qualifications, including significant management experience in government and in accounting and auditing.  In late March, a bicameral Congressional commission sent four names of candidates to the President for his consideration.  The AICPA sent a letter to President Obama on March 29, 2010, reiterating its view encouraging the President to select a licensed CPA for this position (linked below).

Importantly, GAO has a long history of being led by CPAs.  Since 1981, the Congress and the President have recognized the significance of a CPA leading the GAO through the appointments of Charles Bowsher (1981-1996) and David Walker (1996-2008).  Bowsher and Walker successfully used their extensive CPA training and high principles to successfully lead GAO through difficult times.   The AICPA believes that the even more challenging times ahead require that the Comptroller General have those same professional characteristics and training – it is imperative that this position be filled by a person with the strongest possible qualifications.

GAO’s audits, studies, and reports are among the most important ways Congress evaluates ongoing activities and learns of waste, fraud, and abuse in the $3.8 trillion federal bureaucracy.  As the economy recovers from recession, and reducing the deficit takes on increasing urgency, a strong Comptroller General who can apply sound accounting, financial and reporting practices to federal finances and activities will be critical.  The training, discipline, commitment to objectivity, and integrity that define a CPA, and the public confidence that the credential instills, will further solidify the GAO’s reputation for impartial, thoughtful analysis and guarantee that this agency will fulfill its mission to ensure the accountability of the Federal government for the benefit of the American people.

Resources

Copy of Legislation
A copy of the bill is available on the Library of Congress's THOMAS website.  The most recent version of the bill, and all Congressional actions, are available by using the advanced search function and  searching for H.R. 4410 by bill number under the 111th Congress.

AICPA Letters
March 29, 2010 Letter to the President regarding the AICPA's views on the qualifications and nomination of a new Comptroller General for the Government Accountability Office

February 22, 2010 Letter to Members of the House of Representatives requesting support for H.R. 4410

AICPA Issue Paper
February 2010 Issue Paper, Why the AICPA Believes the Comptroller General Should Be a CPA:  Support H.R. 4410

Other Documents and Links

February 16, 2010 Dear Colleague Letter by Representatives Peterson and Conaway

Outside Media Coverage

December 28, 2009 Web CPA Article, Bill Would Require Comptroller General to be a CPA

December 28, 2009 Connecticut Society of Certified Public Accountants, AICPA Supports Legislation Requiring U.S. Comptroller General to Be a CPA

Staff Contacts


Peter Kravitz
Director, Congressional and Political Affairs
202.434.4218
pkravitz@aicpa.org

Diana Huntress Deem
Senior Manager, Congressional and Political Affairs
202.434.9276
ddeem@aicpa.org

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Tax Legislation and Policy - Recent Issues

Article :  The Congressional and Political Affairs Team often assists the Tax Team with tax legislation and policy issues, and advocates about them to Members of Congress and other key policymakers on behalf of the profession.  Below are several significant current
Published on May 15, 2012

Tax Strategy Patents

Article :  On September 16, 2011, President Obama signed the America Invents Act, which contains a provision that eliminates the patenting of new tax strategy patents. The AICPA strongly supported this legislation and worked towards i
Published on May 15, 2012

Federal Legislative and Regulatory Issues

Federal Law :  This page highlights the advocacy issues in which the Congressional & Political Affairs Team is advocating on behalf of the profession, and also those issues that the team has recently followed.
Published on May 15, 2012

Tax Legislation and Policy

Article :  The Congressional and Political Affairs Team often assists the Tax Team with tax legislation and policy issues, and advocates about them to Members of Congress and other key policymakers on behalf of the profession.
Published on May 15, 2012

XBRL

Article :  Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) used in financial and other reporting allows for easier access to more transparent information.  AICPA supports legislative proposals to utilize XBRL by companies, Federal agencies and recipients of Federal funds.
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Article :  The Dodd-Frank Act provides authority to the Public Company Oversight Board to expand, by rule, its oversight and inspections to all auditors of broker-dealers or to a targeted subset of its choosing. The AICPA continues to advocate for a clear policy rationale to any changes in PCAOB regulation.
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Financial Literacy and Education

Article :  The Congressional and Political Affairs team regularly works with lawmakers and federal officials to promote financial literacy through all stages of life.  In particular, the team supports legislative and executive branch efforts, such as those thr
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Extraterritorial Private Rights of Action, also known as F-Cubed Litigation

Article :  The accounting profession believes private litigants may utilize U.S. securities laws within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S. and that the United States Supreme Court decision in Morrison v. National Australia Bank, Ltd. is the correct reading of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Published on May 14, 2012

Interstate Taxation/Mobile Workforce Bill

Article :  The AICPA is supporting legislation that would reduce the tax burden and compliance requirements related to nonresident state income tax withholding laws.
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AICPA Advocacy

Overview :  The AICPA monitors and advocates on legislative and other matters that affect the accounting profession. Working with state CPA societies and other professional organizations, the AICPA provides information to and educates federal, state and local policymakers regarding key issues.
Published on April 05, 2012

Section 404(b) of Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

Article :  The Sarbanes Oxley Act requires that the management of public companies assess the effectiveness of the internal control of issuers for financial reporting.  Section 404(b) requires a publicly-held company’s auditor to attest to, and report on, management’s assessment of its internal controls. AICPA believes that all investors in public companies
Published on April 05, 2012

Letter to Senate regarding accounting and auditing standards for public companies

Legislative Letters :  Letter to Senate regarding accounting and auditing standards for public companies, March 19, 2012.
Published on April 03, 2012

Letter from SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro to Senators Tim Johnson and Richard Shelby regarding the JOBS Act

Legislative Letters :  March 13, 2012 Letter from SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro to Senators Tim Johnson and Richard Shelby regarding the JOBS Act.
Published on April 03, 2012

March 22, 2012 CAQ-CII Letter to Senate re JOBS Act

Legislative Letters :  March 22, 2012 CAQ-CII Letter to Senate re JOBS Act
Published on April 03, 2012

FASB Independence and Fair Value Accounting

Article :  The AICPA strongly and unequivocally supports independence of the U.S. and international accounting standard setting bodies, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in Norwalk, Connecticut, and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in London.
Published on January 26, 2012

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