1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to occupations; providing that the board of 
  1.3             accountancy must stagger its license renewal schedule; 
  1.4             amending Minnesota Statutes 1994, sections 326.20, 
  1.5             subdivisions 1, 2, and by adding a subdivision; and 
  1.6             326.22, subdivision 2. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 326.20, 
  1.9   subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subdivision 1.  [LICENSE RENEWAL OF CERTIFIED PUBLIC 
  1.11  ACCOUNTANTS AND LICENSED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS.] Every holder of a 
  1.12  certified public accountant license or a licensed public 
  1.13  accountant license issued by the board, if engaged, or intending 
  1.14  to be engaged, in public practice within this state at any time 
  1.15  during a calendar year shall renew the license as ~~prescribed by~~ 
  1.16  ~~the board by rule~~ described in subdivision 3a. 
  1.17     The board shall, upon application made by any holder of an 
  1.18  unrevoked Minnesota license as a certified public accountant or 
  1.19  license as a licensed public accountant, renew the license which 
  1.20  shall be good for ~~a~~ the period ~~prescribed by the board~~ described 
  1.21  in subdivision 3a, unless the said certificate or license shall 
  1.22  sooner be revoked.  Interim licenses shall be issued to 
  1.23  individuals who have satisfied the provisions of sections 326.17 
  1.24  to 326.229 within the ~~year~~ two-year period. 
  1.25     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 326.20, 
  1.26  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  2.1      Subd. 2.  [LICENSURE OF PARTNERSHIPS AND CORPORATIONS.] 
  2.2   Every partnership or corporation in which one or more certified 
  2.3   public accountants or licensed public accountants of this state 
  2.4   is a partner or shareholder, if it is engaged, or intends to be 
  2.5   engaged, in public practice within this state at any time shall 
  2.6   be licensed by the state board of accountancy for that period.  
  2.7   Upon application made upon the affidavit of a general partner of 
  2.8   the partnership or secretary of the corporation who is a 
  2.9   certified public accountant or a licensed public accountant of 
  2.10  this state in good standing, the board shall issue a license 
  2.11  which shall be good for ~~a~~ the period ~~prescribed by the board~~ 
  2.12  described in subdivision 3a, unless the license shall sooner be 
  2.13  revoked.  Interim licenses shall be issued to partnerships or 
  2.14  corporations which have satisfied the provisions of this 
  2.15  subdivision.  The application shall confer upon the board the 
  2.16  consent of the partnership or corporation, and of the general 
  2.17  partner or secretary making the application, to the board's 
  2.18  jurisdiction over the acts of the partnership and its partners 
  2.19  or agents or of the corporation and its shareholders or agents 
  2.20  within the state. 
  2.21     No partnership or corporation shall style itself as a firm 
  2.22  of certified public accountants unless (a) all partners or 
  2.23  shareholders resident in this state are certified public 
  2.24  accountants of this state, (b) all managers in charge of offices 
  2.25  maintained in this state are certified public accountants of 
  2.26  this state, (c) all partners or shareholders, wherever situated, 
  2.27  are certified public accountants of one of the states or 
  2.28  territories or of the District of Columbia and (d) the 
  2.29  partnership or corporation is duly licensed under this section.  
  2.30     No partnership or corporation shall style itself as a firm 
  2.31  of licensed public accountants unless (a) all partners or 
  2.32  shareholders resident in this state are licensed public 
  2.33  accountants or certified public accountants of this state, (b) 
  2.34  all managers in charge of offices maintained in this state are 
  2.35  licensed public accountants or certified public accountants of 
  2.36  this state, (c) all partners or shareholders, wherever situated, 
  3.1   are licensed public accountants of this state or certified 
  3.2   public accountants of one of the states or territories or the 
  3.3   District of Columbia and (d) the partnership or corporation is 
  3.4   duly licensed under this section.  
  3.5      Any cooperative auditing organization organized under 
  3.6   chapter 308A (a) which for a minimum of one year prior to July 
  3.7   1, 1979, has been rendering auditing, accounting of business 
  3.8   analysis services to its members only, and (b) whose managers in 
  3.9   charge of offices maintained in this state are certified public 
  3.10  accountants or licensed public accountants of this state, shall 
  3.11  be deemed to be qualified for a cooperative auditing service 
  3.12  license and may style itself as a licensed cooperative auditing 
  3.13  service. 
  3.14     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 326.20, is 
  3.15  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  3.16     Subd. 3a.  [EFFECTIVE DATE OF LICENSE.] Licenses renewed 
  3.17  under this section are valid for a period of 24 months.  New 
  3.18  licenses issued during a 24-month licensing period shall expire 
  3.19  on June 30 of the expiration year assigned to the license.  
  3.20  Implementation of the 24-month licensing program must be 
  3.21  staggered so that approximately one-half of the licenses will 
  3.22  expire on June 30 of each even-numbered year and the other 
  3.23  one-half on June 30 of each odd-numbered year.  Those licensees 
  3.24  who will receive a 12-month license on July 1, 1996, because of 
  3.25  the staggered implementation schedule shall pay for the license 
  3.26  a fee reduced by an amount equal to one-half the fee for renewal 
  3.27  of the license. 
  3.28     Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 1994, section 326.22, 
  3.29  subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  3.30     Subd. 2.  [~~ANNUAL~~ LICENSE FEE.] Each person or partnership 
  3.31  to whom a license is issued shall pay a renewal fee at the rate 
  3.32  set by the board ~~for such year~~.