STATE STATUTES & CODES
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CALIFORNIA STATUTES AND CODES
SECTIONS 5080-5095
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS CODE
SECTION 5080-5095
5080. The "certified public accountant" license shall be granted by the board to any person who meets the requirements of this article, has not committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of a license under Section 480, and files an application for licensure on a form provided by the board. 5080.1. The board may require an applicant for a certified public accountant license to appear in person to determine if the applicant' s qualifications are as prescribed in this chapter and in rules adopted by the board. 5081. An applicant for an authorization to be admitted to the examination for a certified public accountant license shall: (a) Not have committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of a license under Section 480. (b) File the application prescribed by the board. This application shall not be considered filed unless all required supporting documents, fees, and the fully completed board-approved application form are received in the board office or filed by mail in accordance with Section 11003 of the Government Code on or before the specified final filing date. (c) Meet one of the educational requirements specified in this article. 5082. An applicant for a certified public accountant license shall have successfully passed an examination in subjects the board deems appropriate, and in the form and manner that the board deems appropriate. The board may, by regulation, prescribe the methods for applying for and conducting the examination, including methods for grading and determining a passing grade. 5082.1. (a) The examination required by the board for the granting of a license as a certified public accountant may be conducted by the board or by a public or private organization specified by the board. The examination may be conducted under a uniform examination system. (b) The board may make arrangements with a public or private organization for the conduct of the examination, as deemed necessary by the board. The board may contract with a public or private organization for materials or services related to the examination. 5082.2. A candidate who fails an examination provided for in this article shall have the right to reexamination pursuant to the provisions of this article and regulations adopted by the board. 5082.3. An applicant for a license as a certified public accountant may be deemed by the board to have met the examination requirements of Section 5082, 5092, or 5093 if the applicant satisfies all of the following requirements: (a) The applicant is licensed or has comparable authority under the laws of any country to engage in the practice of public accountancy. (b) The International Qualifications Appraisal Board jointly established by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has determined that the standards under which the applicant was licensed or under which the applicant secured comparable authority meet its standards for admission to the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination. (c) The applicant has successfully passed the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination referenced in subdivision (b). 5082.4. A Canadian Chartered Accountant in good standing may be deemed by the board to have met the examination requirements of Section 5082, 5092, or 5093 if he or she has successfully passed the Canadian Chartered Accountant Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination referenced in subdivision (b) Section 5082.3. 5082.5. The board may give credit to a candidate who has passed all or part of the examination in another state or territory, if the members of the board determine that the standards under which the examination was held are as high as the standards established for examination in this chapter. 5082.5. The board may give credit to a candidate who has passed all or part of the examination in another state or territory, if the members of the board determine that the standards under which the examination was held are as high as the standards established for the examination in this chapter. 5086. Individuals who, at the time of the enactment of this act, hold certified public accountant licenses heretofore issued under the laws of this state shall not be required to secure additional licenses under this chapter, but shall otherwise be subject to all the provisions of this act; and such licenses heretofore issued shall, for all purposes, be considered licenses under this chapter and subject to the provisions hereof. 5087. (a) The board may issue a certified public accountant license to any applicant who is a holder of a valid and unrevoked certified public accountant license issued under the laws of any state, if the board determines that the standards under which the applicant received the license are substantially equivalent to the standards of education, examination, and experience established under this chapter and the applicant has not committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial under Section 480. To be authorized to sign reports on attest engagements, the applicant shall meet the requirements of Section 5095. (b) The board may in particular cases waive any of the requirements regarding the circumstances in which the various parts of the examination were to be passed for an applicant from another state. 5088. (a) Any individual who is the holder of a current and valid license as a certified public accountant issued under the laws of any state and who applies to the board for a license as a certified public accountant under the provisions of Section 5087 may, until the time the application for a license is granted or denied, practice public accountancy in this state only under a practice privilege pursuant to the provisions of Article 5.1 (commencing with Section 5096), except that, for purposes of this section, the individual is not disqualified from a practice privilege during the period the application is pending by virtue of maintaining an office or principal place of business, or both, in this state. The board may by regulation provide for exemption, credit, or proration of fees to avoid duplication of fees. (b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2006. 5090. An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall comply with the education, examination, and experience requirements in either Section 5092 or 5093. 5092. (a) To qualify for the certified public accountant license, an applicant who is applying under this section shall meet the education, examination, and experience requirements specified in subdivisions (b), (c), and (d), or otherwise prescribed pursuant to this article. The board may adopt regulations as necessary to implement this section. (b) An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has completed a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university, meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in Section 5094, the total educational program to include a minimum of 24 semester units in accounting subjects and 24 semester units in business related subjects. This evidence shall be provided prior to admission to the examination for the certified public accountant license, except that an applicant who applied, qualified, and sat for at least two subjects of the examination for the certified public accountant license before May 15, 2002, may provide this evidence at the time of application for licensure. (c) An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall pass an examination prescribed by the board pursuant to this article. (d) The applicant shall show, to the satisfaction of the board, that the applicant has had two years of qualifying experience. This experience may include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills. To be qualifying under this section, experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy. (e) This section shall become inoperative on January 1, 2014, but shall become or remain operative if either the educational requirements in ethics study and accounting study established by subdivision (b) of Section 5094, Section 5094.5, and Section 5094.6 are reduced or eliminated or if the practice privilege requirements of Sections 5096 to 5096.15, inclusive, are amended or repealed. (f) The amendment to Section 5096.12 made by the act adding this subdivision shall not be deemed an amendment of that section for purposes of subdivision (e). 5093. (a) To qualify for the certified public accountant license, an applicant who is applying under this section shall meet the education, examination, and experience requirements specified in subdivisions (b), (c), and (d), or otherwise prescribed pursuant to this article. The board may adopt regulations as necessary to implement this section. (b) (1) An applicant for admission to the certified public accountant examination under the provisions of this section shall present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has completed a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a degree-granting university, college, or other institution of learning accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency included in a list of these agencies published by the United States Secretary of Education under the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1001, et seq.), or meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in subdivision (c) of Section 5094. The total educational program shall include a minimum of 24 semester units in accounting subjects and 24 semester units in business related subjects. This evidence shall be provided at the time of application for admission to the examination, except that an applicant who applied, qualified, and sat for at least two subjects of the examination for the certified public accountant license before May 15, 2002, may provide this evidence at the time of application for licensure. (2) An applicant for issuance of the certified public accountant license under the provisions of this section shall present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has completed at least 150 semester units of college education including a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university, meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in Section 5094, the total educational program to include the units described in subdivision (b) of Section 5094 and a minimum of 24 semester units in accounting subjects and 24 semester units in business related subjects. This evidence shall be presented at the time of application for the certified public accountant license. Nothing herein shall be deemed inconsistent with Section 5094 or 5094.6. (c) An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall pass an examination prescribed by the board. (d) The applicant shall show, to the satisfaction of the board, that the applicant has had one year of qualifying experience. This experience may include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax or consulting skills. To be qualifying under this section, experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy. (e) Applicants completing education at a college or university located outside of this state, meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in Section 5094, shall be deemed to meet the educational requirements of this section if the board determines that the education is substantially equivalent to the standards of education specified under this chapter. 5094. (a) In order for education to be qualifying, it shall meet the standards described in subdivision (b) or (c) of this section. (b) At a minimum, education must be from a degree-granting university, college, or other institution of learning accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency included in a list of these agencies published by the United States Secretary of Education under the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1001, et seq.) and, after January 1, 2014, shall also, at minimum, include 10 units of ethics study consistent with the regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 5094.6 and 20 units of accounting study consistent with the regulations promulgated under subdivision (c) of Section 5094.6. The Accounting Education Advisory Committee established under Section 5094.5 may determine that a course or a portion of a course satisfies the ethics study requirement. Nothing herein shall be deemed inconsistent with prevailing academic practice regarding the completion of units. (c) Education from a college, university, or other institution of learning located outside the United States may be qualifying provided it is deemed by the board to be equivalent to education obtained under subdivision (b). The board may require an applicant to submit documentation of his or her education to a credential evaluation service approved by the board for evaluation and to cause the results of this evaluation to be reported to the board in order to assess educational equivalency. (d) The board shall adopt regulations specifying the criteria and procedures for approval of credential evaluation services. These regulations shall, at a minimum, require that the credential evaluation service (1) furnish evaluations directly to the board, (2) furnish evaluations written in English, (3) be a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs, or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, (4) be used by accredited colleges and universities, (5) be reevaluated by the board every five years, (6) maintain a complete set of reference materials as specified by the board, (7) base evaluations only upon authentic, original transcripts and degrees and have a written procedure for identifying fraudulent transcripts, (8) include in the evaluation report, for each degree held by the applicant, the equivalent degree offered in the United States, the date the degree was granted, the institution granting the degree, an English translation of the course titles, and the semester unit equivalence for each of the courses, (9) have an appeal procedure for applicants, and (10) furnish the board with information concerning the credential evaluation service that includes biographical information on evaluators and translators, three letters of references from public or private agencies, statistical information on the number of applications processed annually for the past five years, and any additional information the board may require in order to ascertain that the credential evaluation service meets the standards set forth in this subdivision and in any regulations adopted by the board. 5094.5. (a) There is hereby created within the jurisdiction of the board the Advisory Committee on Accounting Ethics Curriculum. For purposes of this section, "committee" means the advisory committee established under this section. (b) The committee shall consist of the following 11 members: (1) One member appointed by the California Public Employees Retirement System. (2) Two members appointed by the Regents of the University of California. These members shall be professors of business ethics or accounting who have published works on the desirability and potential contents of accounting ethics education. (3) Two members appointed by the California State University Board of Trustees. These members shall be professors of business ethics or accounting who have published works on the desirability and potential contents of accounting ethics education. (4) Two members representing the California Community Colleges appointed by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. These members shall be instructors of business ethics or accounting. (5) The Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the board shall each appoint one member. The members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly shall be from organized labor or consumer advocacy organizations. (6) The Governor shall appoint one California certified public accountant in public practice from a list provided by the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. (c) The term of a member of the committee shall be at the pleasure of the appointing authority. (d) The committee shall be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (e) (1) This section shall become inoperative on the later of the following: (A) January 1, 2014. (B) The day following the date on which the committee issues the final report required under subdivision (b) of Section 5094.6. (2) This section shall be repealed on the later of the following: (A) January 1, 2014. (B) January 1 following the date described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1). 5094.6. (a) No later than June 1, 2012, the committee shall recommend to the board ethics study guidelines consisting of no less than 10 semester units to be included as a part of the education required under Section 5093. Ethics study may consist of academic courses, portions of courses, or independent study offered by degree-granting universities, colleges, or other institutions of learning accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. Nothing herein shall be deemed inconsistent with prevailing academic practice regarding completion of units. (b) No later than January 31, 2013, the board shall adopt, by regulation, the ethics study recommendations made by the committee pursuant to subdivision (a) without substantive changes. The committee shall issue a report during the public comment period and, no later than 30 days after the regulations are final, shall offer an opinion as to whether the regulations will implement its recommendations. (c) The board shall, no later than January 1, 2012, by regulation, adopt guidelines for accounting study to be included as part of the education required under Section 5093. In promulgating these regulations, the board shall consider the views of the Accounting Education Advisory Committee established under Section 5094.7. (d) No later than six months following the issuance of the report by the California Research Bureau regarding the Uniform Accountancy Act's 150-hour rule, the board shall hold a hearing on the report. At the hearing, the board shall make recommendations, based on that report, to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for ensuring the relevancy of accountancy education to the modern practice of accounting and shall approve a plan for the board to seek the adoption of those recommendations and any others the board may recommend related to enforcement and Internet disclosure. (e) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) Except as provided in subdivision (c), "committee" means the Advisory Committee on Accounting Ethics Curriculum established under Section 5094.5. (2) "Ethics study guidelines" means the guidelines for the study of ethics adopted for California by the committee and the board consisting of a program of learning that provides students with a framework of ethical reasoning, professional values, and attitudes for exercising professional skepticism and other behavior that is in the best interest of the investing and consuming public and the profession. At minimum, it includes academic work or independent study and shall include a foundation for ethical reasoning and the core values of integrity, objectivity, and independence consistent with the International Education Standards-4 of the International Accountants Education Standards Board, the International Federation of Accountants Code of Ethics, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Code of Professional Conduct. (3) "Accounting study" means independent study or other academic work in accounting, business, ethics, business law, or other academic work relevant to accounting and business, so as to enhance the competency of students as practitioners. 5094.7. (a) There is hereby created within the jurisdiction of the board an Accounting Education Advisory Committee for the purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 5094.6. The members of this committee shall be appointed by the board and shall be experts in accounting education. The committee shall be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2012, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2012, deletes or extends that date. 5095. (a) To be authorized to sign reports on attest engagements, a licensee shall complete a minimum of 500 hours of experience, satisfactory to the board, in attest services. (b) To be qualifying under this section, attest experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy and provide attest services, and this experience shall be verified. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy and perform attest services, and this experience shall be verified. An applicant may be required to present work papers or other evidence substantiating that the applicant has met the requirements of this section and applicable regulations. (c) An individual who qualified for licensure by meeting the requirements of Section 5083 shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this section. (d) The board shall adopt regulations to implement this section, including, but not limited to, a procedure for applicants under Section 5092 or Section 5093 to qualify under this section. 5095. (a) To be authorized to sign reports on attest engagements, a licensee shall complete a minimum of 500 hours of experience, satisfactory to the board, in attest services. (b) To qualify under this section, attest experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy and provide attest services, and this experience shall be verified. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy and perform attest services, and this experience shall be verified. An applicant may be required to present work papers or other evidence substantiating that the applicant has met the requirements of this section and any applicable regulations. (c) An individual who qualified for licensure by meeting the requirements of Section 5083 shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this section. (d) The board shall adopt regulations to implement this section, including, but not limited to, a procedure for applicants under Section 5092 or Section 5093 to qualify under this section.
SECTION 5080-5095
5080. The "certified public accountant" license shall be granted by the board to any person who meets the requirements of this article, has not committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of a license under Section 480, and files an application for licensure on a form provided by the board. 5080.1. The board may require an applicant for a certified public accountant license to appear in person to determine if the applicant' s qualifications are as prescribed in this chapter and in rules adopted by the board. 5081. An applicant for an authorization to be admitted to the examination for a certified public accountant license shall: (a) Not have committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial of a license under Section 480. (b) File the application prescribed by the board. This application shall not be considered filed unless all required supporting documents, fees, and the fully completed board-approved application form are received in the board office or filed by mail in accordance with Section 11003 of the Government Code on or before the specified final filing date. (c) Meet one of the educational requirements specified in this article. 5082. An applicant for a certified public accountant license shall have successfully passed an examination in subjects the board deems appropriate, and in the form and manner that the board deems appropriate. The board may, by regulation, prescribe the methods for applying for and conducting the examination, including methods for grading and determining a passing grade. 5082.1. (a) The examination required by the board for the granting of a license as a certified public accountant may be conducted by the board or by a public or private organization specified by the board. The examination may be conducted under a uniform examination system. (b) The board may make arrangements with a public or private organization for the conduct of the examination, as deemed necessary by the board. The board may contract with a public or private organization for materials or services related to the examination. 5082.2. A candidate who fails an examination provided for in this article shall have the right to reexamination pursuant to the provisions of this article and regulations adopted by the board. 5082.3. An applicant for a license as a certified public accountant may be deemed by the board to have met the examination requirements of Section 5082, 5092, or 5093 if the applicant satisfies all of the following requirements: (a) The applicant is licensed or has comparable authority under the laws of any country to engage in the practice of public accountancy. (b) The International Qualifications Appraisal Board jointly established by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has determined that the standards under which the applicant was licensed or under which the applicant secured comparable authority meet its standards for admission to the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination. (c) The applicant has successfully passed the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination referenced in subdivision (b). 5082.4. A Canadian Chartered Accountant in good standing may be deemed by the board to have met the examination requirements of Section 5082, 5092, or 5093 if he or she has successfully passed the Canadian Chartered Accountant Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants or the International Uniform Certified Public Accountant Qualification Examination referenced in subdivision (b) Section 5082.3. 5082.5. The board may give credit to a candidate who has passed all or part of the examination in another state or territory, if the members of the board determine that the standards under which the examination was held are as high as the standards established for examination in this chapter. 5082.5. The board may give credit to a candidate who has passed all or part of the examination in another state or territory, if the members of the board determine that the standards under which the examination was held are as high as the standards established for the examination in this chapter. 5086. Individuals who, at the time of the enactment of this act, hold certified public accountant licenses heretofore issued under the laws of this state shall not be required to secure additional licenses under this chapter, but shall otherwise be subject to all the provisions of this act; and such licenses heretofore issued shall, for all purposes, be considered licenses under this chapter and subject to the provisions hereof. 5087. (a) The board may issue a certified public accountant license to any applicant who is a holder of a valid and unrevoked certified public accountant license issued under the laws of any state, if the board determines that the standards under which the applicant received the license are substantially equivalent to the standards of education, examination, and experience established under this chapter and the applicant has not committed acts or crimes constituting grounds for denial under Section 480. To be authorized to sign reports on attest engagements, the applicant shall meet the requirements of Section 5095. (b) The board may in particular cases waive any of the requirements regarding the circumstances in which the various parts of the examination were to be passed for an applicant from another state. 5088. (a) Any individual who is the holder of a current and valid license as a certified public accountant issued under the laws of any state and who applies to the board for a license as a certified public accountant under the provisions of Section 5087 may, until the time the application for a license is granted or denied, practice public accountancy in this state only under a practice privilege pursuant to the provisions of Article 5.1 (commencing with Section 5096), except that, for purposes of this section, the individual is not disqualified from a practice privilege during the period the application is pending by virtue of maintaining an office or principal place of business, or both, in this state. The board may by regulation provide for exemption, credit, or proration of fees to avoid duplication of fees. (b) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2006. 5090. An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall comply with the education, examination, and experience requirements in either Section 5092 or 5093. 5092. (a) To qualify for the certified public accountant license, an applicant who is applying under this section shall meet the education, examination, and experience requirements specified in subdivisions (b), (c), and (d), or otherwise prescribed pursuant to this article. The board may adopt regulations as necessary to implement this section. (b) An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has completed a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university, meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in Section 5094, the total educational program to include a minimum of 24 semester units in accounting subjects and 24 semester units in business related subjects. This evidence shall be provided prior to admission to the examination for the certified public accountant license, except that an applicant who applied, qualified, and sat for at least two subjects of the examination for the certified public accountant license before May 15, 2002, may provide this evidence at the time of application for licensure. (c) An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall pass an examination prescribed by the board pursuant to this article. (d) The applicant shall show, to the satisfaction of the board, that the applicant has had two years of qualifying experience. This experience may include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax, or consulting skills. To be qualifying under this section, experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy. (e) This section shall become inoperative on January 1, 2014, but shall become or remain operative if either the educational requirements in ethics study and accounting study established by subdivision (b) of Section 5094, Section 5094.5, and Section 5094.6 are reduced or eliminated or if the practice privilege requirements of Sections 5096 to 5096.15, inclusive, are amended or repealed. (f) The amendment to Section 5096.12 made by the act adding this subdivision shall not be deemed an amendment of that section for purposes of subdivision (e). 5093. (a) To qualify for the certified public accountant license, an applicant who is applying under this section shall meet the education, examination, and experience requirements specified in subdivisions (b), (c), and (d), or otherwise prescribed pursuant to this article. The board may adopt regulations as necessary to implement this section. (b) (1) An applicant for admission to the certified public accountant examination under the provisions of this section shall present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has completed a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a degree-granting university, college, or other institution of learning accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency included in a list of these agencies published by the United States Secretary of Education under the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1001, et seq.), or meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in subdivision (c) of Section 5094. The total educational program shall include a minimum of 24 semester units in accounting subjects and 24 semester units in business related subjects. This evidence shall be provided at the time of application for admission to the examination, except that an applicant who applied, qualified, and sat for at least two subjects of the examination for the certified public accountant license before May 15, 2002, may provide this evidence at the time of application for licensure. (2) An applicant for issuance of the certified public accountant license under the provisions of this section shall present satisfactory evidence that the applicant has completed at least 150 semester units of college education including a baccalaureate or higher degree conferred by a college or university, meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in Section 5094, the total educational program to include the units described in subdivision (b) of Section 5094 and a minimum of 24 semester units in accounting subjects and 24 semester units in business related subjects. This evidence shall be presented at the time of application for the certified public accountant license. Nothing herein shall be deemed inconsistent with Section 5094 or 5094.6. (c) An applicant for the certified public accountant license shall pass an examination prescribed by the board. (d) The applicant shall show, to the satisfaction of the board, that the applicant has had one year of qualifying experience. This experience may include providing any type of service or advice involving the use of accounting, attest, compilation, management advisory, financial advisory, tax or consulting skills. To be qualifying under this section, experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy. (e) Applicants completing education at a college or university located outside of this state, meeting, at a minimum, the standards described in Section 5094, shall be deemed to meet the educational requirements of this section if the board determines that the education is substantially equivalent to the standards of education specified under this chapter. 5094. (a) In order for education to be qualifying, it shall meet the standards described in subdivision (b) or (c) of this section. (b) At a minimum, education must be from a degree-granting university, college, or other institution of learning accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency included in a list of these agencies published by the United States Secretary of Education under the requirements of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1001, et seq.) and, after January 1, 2014, shall also, at minimum, include 10 units of ethics study consistent with the regulations promulgated pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 5094.6 and 20 units of accounting study consistent with the regulations promulgated under subdivision (c) of Section 5094.6. The Accounting Education Advisory Committee established under Section 5094.5 may determine that a course or a portion of a course satisfies the ethics study requirement. Nothing herein shall be deemed inconsistent with prevailing academic practice regarding the completion of units. (c) Education from a college, university, or other institution of learning located outside the United States may be qualifying provided it is deemed by the board to be equivalent to education obtained under subdivision (b). The board may require an applicant to submit documentation of his or her education to a credential evaluation service approved by the board for evaluation and to cause the results of this evaluation to be reported to the board in order to assess educational equivalency. (d) The board shall adopt regulations specifying the criteria and procedures for approval of credential evaluation services. These regulations shall, at a minimum, require that the credential evaluation service (1) furnish evaluations directly to the board, (2) furnish evaluations written in English, (3) be a member of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers, the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs, or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, (4) be used by accredited colleges and universities, (5) be reevaluated by the board every five years, (6) maintain a complete set of reference materials as specified by the board, (7) base evaluations only upon authentic, original transcripts and degrees and have a written procedure for identifying fraudulent transcripts, (8) include in the evaluation report, for each degree held by the applicant, the equivalent degree offered in the United States, the date the degree was granted, the institution granting the degree, an English translation of the course titles, and the semester unit equivalence for each of the courses, (9) have an appeal procedure for applicants, and (10) furnish the board with information concerning the credential evaluation service that includes biographical information on evaluators and translators, three letters of references from public or private agencies, statistical information on the number of applications processed annually for the past five years, and any additional information the board may require in order to ascertain that the credential evaluation service meets the standards set forth in this subdivision and in any regulations adopted by the board. 5094.5. (a) There is hereby created within the jurisdiction of the board the Advisory Committee on Accounting Ethics Curriculum. For purposes of this section, "committee" means the advisory committee established under this section. (b) The committee shall consist of the following 11 members: (1) One member appointed by the California Public Employees Retirement System. (2) Two members appointed by the Regents of the University of California. These members shall be professors of business ethics or accounting who have published works on the desirability and potential contents of accounting ethics education. (3) Two members appointed by the California State University Board of Trustees. These members shall be professors of business ethics or accounting who have published works on the desirability and potential contents of accounting ethics education. (4) Two members representing the California Community Colleges appointed by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. These members shall be instructors of business ethics or accounting. (5) The Senate Committee on Rules, the Speaker of the Assembly, and the board shall each appoint one member. The members appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules and the Speaker of the Assembly shall be from organized labor or consumer advocacy organizations. (6) The Governor shall appoint one California certified public accountant in public practice from a list provided by the California Society of Certified Public Accountants. (c) The term of a member of the committee shall be at the pleasure of the appointing authority. (d) The committee shall be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (e) (1) This section shall become inoperative on the later of the following: (A) January 1, 2014. (B) The day following the date on which the committee issues the final report required under subdivision (b) of Section 5094.6. (2) This section shall be repealed on the later of the following: (A) January 1, 2014. (B) January 1 following the date described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1). 5094.6. (a) No later than June 1, 2012, the committee shall recommend to the board ethics study guidelines consisting of no less than 10 semester units to be included as a part of the education required under Section 5093. Ethics study may consist of academic courses, portions of courses, or independent study offered by degree-granting universities, colleges, or other institutions of learning accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency. Nothing herein shall be deemed inconsistent with prevailing academic practice regarding completion of units. (b) No later than January 31, 2013, the board shall adopt, by regulation, the ethics study recommendations made by the committee pursuant to subdivision (a) without substantive changes. The committee shall issue a report during the public comment period and, no later than 30 days after the regulations are final, shall offer an opinion as to whether the regulations will implement its recommendations. (c) The board shall, no later than January 1, 2012, by regulation, adopt guidelines for accounting study to be included as part of the education required under Section 5093. In promulgating these regulations, the board shall consider the views of the Accounting Education Advisory Committee established under Section 5094.7. (d) No later than six months following the issuance of the report by the California Research Bureau regarding the Uniform Accountancy Act's 150-hour rule, the board shall hold a hearing on the report. At the hearing, the board shall make recommendations, based on that report, to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for ensuring the relevancy of accountancy education to the modern practice of accounting and shall approve a plan for the board to seek the adoption of those recommendations and any others the board may recommend related to enforcement and Internet disclosure. (e) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply: (1) Except as provided in subdivision (c), "committee" means the Advisory Committee on Accounting Ethics Curriculum established under Section 5094.5. (2) "Ethics study guidelines" means the guidelines for the study of ethics adopted for California by the committee and the board consisting of a program of learning that provides students with a framework of ethical reasoning, professional values, and attitudes for exercising professional skepticism and other behavior that is in the best interest of the investing and consuming public and the profession. At minimum, it includes academic work or independent study and shall include a foundation for ethical reasoning and the core values of integrity, objectivity, and independence consistent with the International Education Standards-4 of the International Accountants Education Standards Board, the International Federation of Accountants Code of Ethics, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Code of Professional Conduct. (3) "Accounting study" means independent study or other academic work in accounting, business, ethics, business law, or other academic work relevant to accounting and business, so as to enhance the competency of students as practitioners. 5094.7. (a) There is hereby created within the jurisdiction of the board an Accounting Education Advisory Committee for the purposes of subdivision (c) of Section 5094.6. The members of this committee shall be appointed by the board and shall be experts in accounting education. The committee shall be subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). (b) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2012, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2012, deletes or extends that date. 5095. (a) To be authorized to sign reports on attest engagements, a licensee shall complete a minimum of 500 hours of experience, satisfactory to the board, in attest services. (b) To be qualifying under this section, attest experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy and provide attest services, and this experience shall be verified. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy and perform attest services, and this experience shall be verified. An applicant may be required to present work papers or other evidence substantiating that the applicant has met the requirements of this section and applicable regulations. (c) An individual who qualified for licensure by meeting the requirements of Section 5083 shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this section. (d) The board shall adopt regulations to implement this section, including, but not limited to, a procedure for applicants under Section 5092 or Section 5093 to qualify under this section. 5095. (a) To be authorized to sign reports on attest engagements, a licensee shall complete a minimum of 500 hours of experience, satisfactory to the board, in attest services. (b) To qualify under this section, attest experience shall have been performed in accordance with applicable professional standards. Experience in public accounting shall be completed under the supervision or in the employ of a person licensed or otherwise having comparable authority under the laws of any state or country to engage in the practice of public accountancy and provide attest services, and this experience shall be verified. Experience in private or governmental accounting or auditing shall be completed under the supervision of an individual licensed by a state to engage in the practice of public accountancy and perform attest services, and this experience shall be verified. An applicant may be required to present work papers or other evidence substantiating that the applicant has met the requirements of this section and any applicable regulations. (c) An individual who qualified for licensure by meeting the requirements of Section 5083 shall be deemed to have satisfied the requirements of this section. (d) The board shall adopt regulations to implement this section, including, but not limited to, a procedure for applicants under Section 5092 or Section 5093 to qualify under this section.
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