CPA day at the Capitol

By the Inland Empire Leadership

As the plane circled the Sacramento airport and landed, there was one thing we were certain of—we were going to get wet! Mother nature was in full force, but so were we!

CPAs from all over California gathered in Sacramento Jan. 20 for CalCPA Day at the Capitol. Our primary goals this year were to promote our financial literacy program and to thank assembly members and senators for their support in passing CPA backed legislation in 2009.

Armed with legislator packets, Dollars and Sense packets—and umbrellas—we ventured from the hotel toward the Capitol for our appointed meetings with legislators and staff. Unfortunately umbrellas were quickly rendered useless by the gusty wind as we walked the three blocks.

As we were going into the area to meet as a group, we saw the importance of a profession to stand together—one voice would not make a dent into Capitol. But the voice from many makes a purpose. And later, we found out what it takes to get a bill passed: a lot of meetings, a lot of pursuit and a lot of convincing and follow-up. We were all appointed to offices of different assembly members and senators, and it was difficult not to notice a group of crazy CPAs walking through heavy rains and wind to talk business at the Capitol. This was our day!

Our message was simple: “Especially in these economic times, we find the need for financial literacy education to be of the highest importance.” One cannot help but acknowledge that the lack of financial literacy has contributed to our country’s economic problems. So as the old adage goes, “Timing is everything.” And the time for our message of financial literacy is now. Our economy is riddled with the effects of poor financial decisions. We have the expertise and knowledge to help people understand how to make better financial decisions.

We feel we have gained so much from attending this event, both personally and professionally. Our efforts made the difference in their vote. Sometimes, all they need is for someone to explain how a bill will affect the profession and, in this case, how important it is for us to be deemed equal to other CPAs across the nation.

We can’t wait for next year!

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 25th, 2010 at 12:51 pm and is filed under Chapter News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.