As the current chair of the Spokane Chapter of the WSCPA, I was called to participate in a strategic planning event in Bellevue last summer. There I connected with Ashley Kittrell, the WSCPA’s Government Relations Coordinator. From this relationship, I was invited to represent the WSCPA in the First Annual WSCPA Hill Day in Olympia in January. I had not been involved in politics before and had never been to Olympia, so the whole day was a fascinating experience for me.

Our main focus was to ask for legislators’ support for a bill related to Washington-based entities that are owned by British Columbia businesses. As of this writing, British Columbia accounting firms are prohibited from performing any type of financial service engagements across the border. We want to make financial reporting easier to save money for them and create a cross border relationship where they allow similar activity in B.C. We also discussed a proposal requiring campaign treasurer certification and our attempt to exclude CPAs from requiring certification. Finally, we wanted to give the legislators an update and additional appreciation for assistance with the scholarship fund we were able to set up in 2015 with the Washington CPA Foundation.

On the trip from Sea-Tac to Olympia, I chatted with CPAs with different careers in our profession–partners and managers in public accounting firms, employees in Washington-based businesses, CPAs in government, and WSCPA staff. I had some great conversations and made some great connections with these people who cared enough to take a day out of their busy schedules to go in front of our representatives and discuss issues important to our profession and careers.

Once in Olympia, we broke into smaller groups and handed out the WSCPA’s 2017 Income Tax Guide for Washington Legislators, which most offices were eagerly anticipating and thankful to receive. During the walk around campus, I was able to take in some of the history of the capital through the architecture, stories from others we met, and the photos and stories on the walls.

We had a great team lunch where we deliberated our issues to discuss with the legislators in our one-on-one meetings as well as got to know each other on a more personal level. We also met our lobbyist. What a fascinating job! I enjoyed talking to her about what a typical day is like and people she meets and the discussions she has.

Later several members attended the public hearing for our bill in the House Business and Financial Services Committee and provided testimony. We also had individual meetings set up with representatives. Most meetings were designed to be with representatives in our individual districts, but I enjoyed connecting with everyone in all the meetings I attended. These legislators took time from their hectic days and talked with us about our bill and our profession. No one turned our ideas down. Some engaged us in longer conversations about bigger matters and others just agreed to support our bill. I really enjoyed connecting with the representatives on a face-to-face level, discussing our bill, and also connecting about our small hometowns, our favorite places to eat, and the beauty of the Palouse in the summer.

It was such a rewarding and interesting experience. I am appreciative of the WSCPA for inviting me to come along and meet new people, learn new things, and get out of my comfort zone.

Jillian Robison, CPA, is tax manager at Eide Bailly, LLP, in Spokane. She is also chair of the Spokane area chapter. You can contact her at jrobison@eidebailly.com.

This article appeared in the spring 2018 issue of the WashingtonCPA Magazine. Read more here.

Other Advocacy News

On March 22, Governor Jay Inslee signed into law House Bill 2468. Effective June 7, 2018, British Columbia accounting firms may perform attest or compilation engagements for businesses with wholly or majority owned subsidiaries residing and licensed in Washington. For more information on this bill and the 2018 Legislative Session, visit www.wscpa.org/advocacy.

To find out how you can participate in supporting WSCPA advocacy initiatives, please contact Ashley Kittrell at akittrell@wscpa.org or visit www.wscpa.org/advocacy.

Special thank you to Micki Hazen, CPA, a member of the WSCPA Taxation Committee, who prepared the 2017 Income Tax Guide for Washington Legislators.