New Mexico 2025 Regular Session

New Mexico House Bill HM18 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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28	28	HOUSE MEMORIAL 18
29	29	57
30	30	TH LEGISLATURE
31	31	- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -
32	32	FIRST SESSION
33	33	, 2025
34	34	INTRODUCED BY
35	35	Rebecca Dow and Tara L. Lujan and Luis M. Terrazas
36	36	and Harlan Vincent
37	37	A MEMORIAL
38	38	RECOGNIZING THE CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT WORKFORCE CRISIS
39	39	AND REQUESTING THE CREATION OF A TASK FORCE TO EXAMINE AND
40	40	PROPOSE SOLUTIONS, INCLUDING STEM INTEGRATION, TO EXPAND AND
41	41	SUPPORT THE CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT WORKFORCE IN NEW
42	42	MEXICO.
43	43	WHEREAS, the "certified public accountant talent pipeline"
44	44	refers to attracting and retaining individuals with the skills
45	45	needed to become certified public accountants; and
46	46	WHEREAS, individuals with backgrounds in STEM skills are
47	47	increasingly critical to modern accounting, including data
48	48	analysis and automation; and
49	49	WHEREAS, a 2022 report by the center for audit quality
50	50	revealed significant barriers to the pursuit of accounting
51	51	careers, with a thirty-six percent decline in the certified
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79	79	public accounting examination pass rate between 2010 and 2021
80	80	and nearly seventy-five percent of the certified public
81	81	accountant workforce reaching retirement age in 2020; and
82	82	WHEREAS, over three hundred thousand certified public
83	83	accountants and auditors in the United States have left the
84	84	field over the past two years, a seventeen percent decline,
85	85	compounded by fewer college students entering the profession,
86	86	and finding and retaining qualified staff continues to be a top
87	87	challenge for accounting employers; and
88	88	WHEREAS, the shortage of certified public accountants is
89	89	exacerbated by young and mid-career professionals leaving the
90	90	field, and many experienced certified public accountants are
91	91	transitioning to other roles in finance and technology; and
92	92	WHEREAS, despite high salaries, the certified public
93	93	accounting profession faces a persistent talent shortage, with
94	94	temporary workers often filling gaps in employment; and
95	95	WHEREAS, the one-hundred-fifty-hour credit requirement to
96	96	become a certified public accountant is a significant barrier
97	97	for many accounting graduates, and the number of college
98	98	students completing degrees in accounting declined nearly nine
99	99	percent between 2012 and 2020; and
100	100	WHEREAS, the national pipeline advisory group calls for a
101	101	data-driven approach to increase accounting talent, emphasizing
102	102	engagement, affordability, support for examination candidates
103	103	and access for under-represented groups; and
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132	132	WHEREAS, the American institute of certified public
133	133	accountants supports federal legislation recognizing accounting
134	134	as a STEM career to diversify the workforce, with legislation
135	135	introduced to fund K-12 accounting education, as STEM
136	136	recognition at the K-12 level will help expand the certified
137	137	public accountant talent pipeline and introduce diverse
138	138	students to accounting careers; and
139	139	WHEREAS, the growing integration of technology in
140	140	accounting drives demand for certified public accountants with
141	141	strong analytical and data-driven skills, aligning with STEM
142	142	education; and
143	143	WHEREAS, artificial intelligence, analytics and technology
144	144	require a workforce with STEM skills to enable accountants to
145	145	leverage data and technology for strategic problem-solving; and
146	146	WHEREAS, increasing awareness of the benefits of a career
147	147	in public accounting and promoting the profession are crucial
148	148	to attracting future members of the profession; and
149	149	WHEREAS, diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are
150	150	essential for fostering a more diverse and innovative
151	151	workforce; and
152	152	WHEREAS, a multi-stakeholder task force will ensure
153	153	continued progress in addressing the public accounting talent
154	154	gap;
155	155	NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF
156	156	REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the office of
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185	185	the state auditor be requested to create an interagency
186	186	certified public accountant talent pipeline task force to
187	187	expand and support certified public accounting and audit
188	188	professionals in New Mexico, examine the shortage of certified
189	189	public accounting and audit professionals in the state and
190	190	propose solutions; and
191	191	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force include one
192	192	representative from the office of the state auditor; one
193	193	representative from the department of finance and
194	194	administration; one representative from the New Mexico public
195	195	accountancy board; one representative from the public education
196	196	department; one representative from the higher education
197	197	department; one representative from the workforce solutions
198	198	department; and representatives from stakeholders, including
199	199	the American institute of certified public accountants, the
200	200	center for audit quality and the national pipeline advisory
201	201	group; and
202	202	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be requested to
203	203	consider and address various solutions to expand and support
204	204	accounting professionals in the state, including: proposal of
205	205	and support for legislation identifying accounting as a STEM
206	206	subject; identification of and support for expanded state and
207	207	federal funding for expanded K-12 and higher education in
208	208	accounting and auditing; creation and integration of a STEM-
209	209	based accounting curriculum for grades K-12; exploring
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238	238	partnerships with educational institutions for the creation of
239	239	internships, scholarships and training programs to attract and
240	240	prepare the next generation of accounting professionals;
241	241	consideration of the use and integration of CPA evolution, a
242	242	licensure model that builds competencies in accounting,
243	243	auditing, tax and technology; the expansion of the workforce
244	244	solutions department's workkeys program to assess artificial
245	245	intelligence, STEM and accounting competencies, including a
246	246	career readiness certificate to confirm artificial intelligence
247	247	and STEM skills for employers; the expansion of education
248	248	finance programs, including the expansion and availability of
249	249	the higher education department's 529 education savings plan to
250	250	increase access to accounting education benefits and
251	251	professional certifications; increasing accounting education
252	252	outreach to under-represented students, including students in
253	253	rural and frontier areas; and expanding the higher education
254	254	trust fund to help finance accounting education; and
255	255	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its
256	256	findings and recommendations to the governor and the
257	257	legislative finance committee by November 1, 2025; and
258	258	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
259	259	transmitted to the governor, the state auditor, the secretary
260	260	of finance and administration, the secretary of the New Mexico
261	261	public accountancy board, the secretary of public education,
262	262	the secretary of higher education, the secretary of workforce
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291	291	solutions and the chair of the legislative finance committee.
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