Institute Briefs Congress on Its Financial Reporting Innovations

AICPA President and CEO Barry C. Melancon testified at a March hearing of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises regarding two AICPA-launched initiatives—extensible business reporting language (XBRL) and enhanced business reporting (EBR)—that are key elements in a new financial reporting model much needed by the economy, capital markets and investors. “Today, investors, lenders and other users of financial information need to make decisions much faster and more often based on what is currently happening and what may happen in the future, in addition to what has occurred solely in the past,” he said. Also testifying were U.S. Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice-President David Hirschmann, Securities Industry Association President Marc E. Lackritz and Financial Executives International President and CEO Colleen Cunningham.