Message from Jeannine

We made it to September! Our good friends and tax columnists, Tom Zoebelein & Clara Benitez, tell us that hindsight is 20/20, and in regard to the year 2020, I could not agree more. There are many things that the ASCPA and your organizations were prepared for going into various crises throughout the year. Still, throughout this health pandemic, there were challenges that revealed opportunities for each of us; opportunities where we have been able to learn and grow.

Because of our need to flip the 2020 in-person CPE programs into 100% live-stream and webinars, we recently made a significant change to our web design. Our online CPE Catalog is easier to navigate and includes more self-study and virtual events than ever before. We have added these self-study events to the back of the magazine on page 30 for your convenience. More virtual learning opportunities is something that we hope to continue well after 2020 so that you can easily incorporate CPE into your schedule and gain insights on timely topics. The year is not yet over, and as I write this neither is our CPE season. So, I hope to see you online at one of our remaining events. Thanks to our dedicated CPE staff and committee volunteers we are able to host the long-standing annual Financial A&A Conference, an 8-hour A&A event. The event will be held September 25, 2020 and brings the nation’s top A&A experts directly to you. Also, our friends from the AICPA, Alabama Department of Revenue, Black Talon Security, and member-favorite, Jim Martin, will join us on the very last day of the season, Wednesday, September 30, 2020, for 2020-exclusive event, the Annual CPE Meeting. You will have the opportunity to earn 4-hours of prime education geared to readiness and, hopefully, foresight. The agenda is available and registration is open on www.ascpa.org/AM2020.

We look forward to the future of the profession with these new changes, but mainly because of the many faces you will see on page 6. The students pictured are scholarship recipients from your contributions to the ASCPA Educational Foundation.

The Educational Foundation is adapting to meet the needs of our future CPAs by offering CPA exam scholarships. In the same vein, our Accounting Career Development staff is creating resources and opportunities that meet students where they are and answer frequently asked questions.

The ASCPA Peer Review Program is working in partnership with the AICPA to support those of you undergoing system reviews commencing before June 30, 2021; see page 19 for more details about recent extensions. They understand the challenges you have met and want to continue to make life easier for you in scheduling and completing both your system and engagement reviews. Do not hesitate to contact them with your questions at peer.review@ascpa.org.

On the legislative front, a tremendous issue that we are working to resolve is the Alabama taxation of Coronavirus Relief Funds. Somewhere around 2.5 million Alabamians have received either stimulus dollars or PPP grants. Currently these dollars are taxable as Alabama statute does not follow federal statute. ASCPA State Tax Committee leadership has worked long and hard will bill sponsor Senator Dan Roberts and the Alabama Department of Revenue to draft legislation. We hope that the Governor will call a special session so we can introduce and pass this bill; Governor Ivey is well aware of this matter. However, it may bill that our bill will be taken up in the 2021 Regular Legislative Session set to begin February 2, 2021. The bill would be retroactive if it is taken up in 2021.

So, as you run into or recognize issues in your work, we hope you will find equity in your connections and the resources available through the ASCPA. We are dedicated to helping you and are eager to create a sustainable legacy through our organization. Please do not hesitate to bring your issues to us. You can always reach us at 334.834.7650 or me at jbirmingham@ascpa.org.

Stay well and cheers to all that we have accomplished together thus far in 2020!