Jefferson City, Mo. – The Missouri State Board of Accountancy is celebrating its 100th year of responsibility for protecting consumers through the regulation of Certified Public Accountants (CPA) in the state. Gov. Jay Nixon has signed a proclamation recognizing the milestone, saying it “provides essential consumer protection through its enforcement of statutes and regulations governing the profession.”

Staff and board members held a centennial celebration at the State Capitol in Jefferson City on Wednesday (Sept. 16), where the Governor’s proclamation was presented by Mary Nelson, director of Boards and Commissions for Gov. Nixon’s office. Nelson presented the proclamation to Wayne Jean, president of the Missouri State Board of Accountancy.

In his remarks at the ceremony, Jean said the Missouri legislature has given the state board more oversight authority through the years.

“That’s due in part to the ever-changing and ever-increasing complexities of the tax code and financial reporting standards,” said Jean.

“Because of these changes, the public has come to expect that accountancy boards be involved not only in the licensing of CPAs, but also in determining their competency; professional conduct; quality of service; objectivity; reliability; and ethics.”

The board currently licenses more than 18,466 CPAs in Missouri and has issued permits to nearly 1,400 accounting firms.

The board’s mission is to assure users of financial and economic data have an independent, objective and uniform product based on generally accepted accounting principles and auditing standards.