2026 Legislative Wins
September 10, 2026
By Emily Webb
The ASCPA had a successful legislative session on behalf of Arizona CPAs. No matter the year or the issue, the ASCPA has your back at the Legislature.
Fifth Annual Tax Conformity Debrief
In December, legislators heard from Arizona CPAs about changes made to the Internal Revenue Code as part of H.R. 1 or the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) passed in July 2025. This event reiterated the importance of income tax conformity and encouraged lawmakers to get the ball rolling early. While income tax conformity was ultimately passed as part of the state budget in June, the ASCPA maintained its position that the earlier conformity is passed, the better it is for Arizona taxpayers.
CPA Day at the Capitol
The fifth annual CPA Day at the Capitol was held in January. In addition to building a stronger connection between state policymakers and the ASCPA, attendees advocated for creating additional pathways to licensure, early income tax conformity, maintaining the gold standard of licensure mobility and reciprocity, and a willingness to engage as nonpartisan resources for legislators.
Interested in attending the next CPA Day at the Capitol? Contact Emily Webb at ewebb@ascpa.com
Additional Pathways
This year, the ASCPA advocacy team worked with the State Board of Accountancy to draft language to create additional pathways to licensure. This measure keeps Arizona CPAs competitive and aligned with the 44 other jurisdictions that have already made changes to state statute related to licensure (as of July 29, 2026). The bill was introduced as SB 1181 (certified public accountants; certification; alternative) by Senator JD Mesnard and received near unanimous support across the House and the Senate, and between both parties. SB 1181 was signed on April 7 and will go into effect on January 1, 2027.
Engaging Stakeholders
The ASCPA Tax Legislation Review Committee (TLRC) worked with various stakeholders this session to provide insight on bill language. Tax conformity was a large issue this session, and several iterations of tax conformity legislation were sent to the ASCPA advocacy team for review and input from the TLRC. The ASCPA continues to work with the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) to address issues brought forth by members. This is yet another example of how the ASCPA has enhanced the organization’s standing with its advocacy program and volunteers and with state policymakers. Legislators on both sides of the aisle seek feedback and review from the ASCPA and our expert members on tax legislation.
Thank you to the volunteers of the ASCPA’s Tax Legislation Review Committee, who serve Arizona and the profession by providing nonpartisan technical expertise on all tax legislation: James Busby, Gary Williams, David Walser, Ed Zollars, Michael Lemme, Jack Gallagher and Caron Mitchell.