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To: Business and Commerce
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representative Yancey
HOUSE BILL NO. 1137
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 73-33-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
PROVIDE CERTAIN EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR A PERSON 2
SEEKING LICENSURE AS A CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT; TO REQUIRE A 3
CANDIDATE FOR LICENSURE TO PASS ALL SECTIONS OF THE UNIFORM CPA 4
EXAMINATION FOR THE INITIAL ISSUANCE OF A LICENSE; TO AMEND 5
SECTION 73-33-17, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE SAME 6
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE FOR A PERSON LICENSED AS A CPA IN ANOTHER 7
STATE WHO IS SEEKING PRACTICE PRIVILEGES IN THIS STATE; TO BRING 8
FORWARD SECTION 73-33-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, FOR THE PURPOSE 9
OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 10
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 11
SECTION 1. Section 73-33-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 12
amended as follows: 13
73-33-5. (1) The Mississippi State Board of Public 14
Accountancy is * * * authorized with the following powers and 15
duties: 16
(a) To adopt a seal; 17
(b) To govern its proceedings; 18
(c) To set the fees and to regulate the time, manner 19
and place of conducting examinations to be held under this 20
chapter. * * * A candidate for licensure must pass all sections of 21
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the Uniform CPA Examination for the initial issuance of a license 22
under this chapter; 23
(d) To initiate investigations of certified public 24
accountant and certified public accountant firm practices; 25
(e) To notify applicants who have failed an examination 26
of such failure and in what branch or branches deficiency was 27
found; 28
(f) To adopt and enforce such rules and regulations 29
concerning certified public accountant examinee and licensee 30
qualifications and practices and certified public accountant firm 31
permits and practices as provided in this chapter and as the board 32
considers necessary to maintain the highest standard of 33
proficiency in the profession of certified public accounting and 34
for the protection of the public interest. The standards of 35
practice by certified public accountants and certified public 36
accountant firms shall include generally accepted auditing and 37
accounting standards as recognized by the Mississippi State Board 38
of Public Accountancy; 39
(g) To issue certified public accountant licenses under 40
the signature and the official seal of the board as provided in 41
this chapter; and to issue permits to practice public accounting 42
to certified public accountant firms pursuant to such rules and 43
regulations as may be promulgated by the board; 44
(h) To employ personnel; 45
(i) To contract for services and rent; and 46
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(j) To adopt and enforce all such rules and regulations 47
as shall be necessary for the administration of this 48
chapter; * * * however, no adoption or modification of any rules 49
or regulations of the board shall become effective unless any 50
final action of the board approving such adoption or modification 51
shall occur at a time and place which is open to the public and 52
for which notice by mail or electronic mail of such time and place 53
and the rules and regulations proposed to be adopted or modified 54
has been given at least thirty (30) days prior thereto to every 55
person who is licensed and registered with the board. 56
(2) To be admitted to the examination provided under 57
subsection (1)(c) of this section, a candidate for licensure must 58
have completed: 59
(a) A postgraduate degree acceptable to the board, 60
including an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined 61
by board rule, at a college or university; 62
(b) A baccalaureate degree with additional semester 63
credit hours for a total of one hundred fifty (150) or more 64
semester hours, all acceptable to the board and including an 65
accounting concentration or equivalent as determined by board 66
rule, at a college or university; or 67
(c) A baccalaureate degree acceptable to the board, 68
including an accounting concentration or equivalent as determined 69
by board rule, at a college or university. 70
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(3) In addition to the education requirements provided in 71
subsection (2) of this section, a candidate for licensure must 72
have: 73
(a) For candidates who meet the education requirements 74
provided in subsection (2)(a) or (b) of this section, one (1) year 75
of experience as defined by board rule; or 76
(b) For candidates who meet the education requirements 77
provided in subsection (2)(c) of this section, two (2) years of 78
experience as defined by board rule. 79
The experience required under this subsection (3) shall 80
include providing any type of service or advice representing the 81
skills needed at the time of initial licensure to serve the 82
public, including accounting, attest, compilation, management 83
advisory, financial advisory, tax or consulting skills, verified 84
by a licensee and meeting the requirements defined by board rule. 85
This experience may be obtained through employment in government, 86
industry, academia or public practice. 87
(4) Any licensee who has passed all sections of the Uniform 88
CPA Examination and holds a valid license that was issued by the 89
board prior to January 1, 2012, is exempt from the education and 90
experience requirements set forth in subsections (2) and (3) of 91
this section. 92
(5) Each application or filing made under this section shall 93
include the social security number(s) of the applicant in 94
accordance with Section 93-11-64, Mississippi Code of 1972. 95
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SECTION 2. Section 73-33-17, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 96
amended as follows: 97
73-33-17. (1) An individual whose principal place of 98
business is not in this state * * *; who holds a valid license as 99
a certified public accountant from any state * * *; who has passed 100
all sections of the Uniform * * * CPA Examination; and * * * who 101
has completed the education and experience requirements in Section 102
73-33-5(2) and (3), shall have all the privileges of licensees of 103
this state without the need to obtain a license from the 104
Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. Notwithstanding 105
any other provision of law, an individual who offers or renders 106
professional services, whether in person, or by mail, telephone or 107
electronic means, under this section shall be granted practice 108
privileges in this state, and may use the title "CPA" or 109
"Certified Public Accountant," and no notice, fee or other 110
submission shall be provided by any such individual. Such an 111
individual shall be subject to the requirements of subsection (3) 112
of this section. * * * 113
(2) An individual whose principal place of business is not 114
in this state * * *; who * * * on or before December 31, 2025, 115
held a valid license as a certified public accountant from any 116
state * * *; who has passed all sections of the Uniform CPA 117
Examination; and who on or before December 31, 2025, had practice 118
privileges in this state under this section, shall continue to 119
have practice privileges in this state and shall have all the 120
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privileges of licensees of this state without the need to obtain a 121
license from the Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. 122
* * * Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an individual 123
who offers or renders professional services, whether in person, or 124
by mail, telephone or electronic means, under this section shall 125
be granted practice privileges in this state, and may use the 126
title "CPA" or "Certified Public Accountant," and no notice, fee 127
or other submission shall be provided by any such individual. 128
Such an individual shall be subject to the requirements of 129
subsection (3) of this section. 130
(3) Any individual licensee of another state exercising the 131
privilege afforded under this section and the firm which employs 132
that licensee hereby simultaneously consent, as a condition of the 133
grant of the privilege: 134
(a) To the personal and subject matter jurisdiction and 135
disciplinary authority of the board; 136
(b) To comply with this chapter and the board's rules; 137
(c) That in the event the license from the state of the 138
individual's principal place of business is no longer valid, the 139
individual will cease offering or rendering professional services 140
in this state individually and on behalf of a firm; and 141
(d) To the appointment of the state board which issued 142
their license as their agent upon whom process may be served in 143
any action or proceeding by this board against the licensee. 144
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(4) An individual who has been granted practice privileges 145
under this section who, for any entity with its home office in 146
this state, performs any of the following services: 147
(a) Any financial statement audit or other engagement 148
to be performed in accordance with Statements on Auditing 149
Standards; 150
(b) Any examination of prospective financial 151
information to be performed in accordance with Statements on 152
Standards for Attestation Engagements; or 153
(c) Any engagement to be performed in accordance with 154
PCAOB Auditing Standards; 155
may only do so through a firm which has obtained a permit issued 156
under Section 73-33-1(3). 157
(5) A licensee of this state offering or rendering services 158
or using their CPA title in another state shall be subject to 159
disciplinary action in this state for an act committed in another 160
state for which the licensee would be subject to discipline for an 161
act committed in the other state. The board shall be required to 162
investigate any complaint made by the State Board of Public 163
Accountancy of another state. 164
SECTION 3. Section 73-33-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 165
brought forward as follows: 166
73-33-9. The Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy 167
may, in its discretion, issue a reciprocal certified public 168
accountant license to practice to any holder of any certified 169
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ST: Certified Public Accountants; revise
education and experience requirements for
licensure.
public accountant's certificate or license issued under the law of 170
another state, which shall entitle the holder to use the 171
abbreviation, "CPA," in this state provided that the state issuing 172
the original certificate or license grants similar privileges to 173
the certified public accountants of this state. The fee for a 174
license shall be in such reasonable amount as determined by the 175
board. Such license shall not allow the holder thereof to engage 176
in the practice of public accounting as a certified public 177
accountant unless the holder meets the requirements of the 178
Mississippi State Board of Public Accountancy. This section shall 179
apply only to a person who wishes to obtain a license issued by 180
the State of Mississippi and shall not apply to those persons 181
practicing in this state under Section 73-33-17. The issuance of 182
a license by reciprocity to a military-trained applicant, military 183
spouse or person who establishes residence in this state shall be 184
subject to the provisions of Section 73-50-1 or 73-50-2, as 185
applicable. 186
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 187
and after July 1, 2026. 188