Accountants’ caucus back in business in Congress

A bipartisan caucus of accountants is up and running again in the U.S. Congress, with greater numbers.

Members of Congress who also belong to the accounting profession announced Friday the organization of the Congressional Caucus on CPAs and Accountants for the 113th Congress.

Caucuses must be reformed and reapproved for each Congress. The current caucus has 12 members, two more than the caucus for the 112th Congress. All of the accountant members of Congress who were up for reelection in November won new terms. Two freshman CPAs in the House of Representatives—Reps. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., and Tom Rice, R-S.C.—also won seats in November and have joined the caucus. CPAs returning to the House of Representatives are Reps. John Campbell, R-Calif.; K. Michael Conaway, R-Texas; Bill Flores, R-Texas; Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan.; Steven Palazzo, R-Miss.; Collin Peterson, D-Minn.; Jim Renacci, R-Ohio; and Brad Sherman, D-Calif.

Accountant Sens. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and Ron Johnson, R-Wis., also return to the caucus.

“Our bipartisan, bicameral structure ensures that members on both sides of the aisle in both the House and Senate get a straightforward CPA perspective to the critical fiscal and budgeting issues facing the country,” Sherman said in a news release.

The group began caucusing in 2011.

—Ken Tysiac (ktysiac@aicpa.org) is a JofA senior editor.