MACPA President Ken Kelly opens CPA Day in Annapolis.

MACPA Board of Directors Chair Ken Kelly opened our 2018 CPA Day on Jan. 25 by saying it was going to be a busy session. That is proving to be an understatement as the first three weeks of the Maryland General Assembly came to a close this past Friday. See our recap of CPA Day in Annapolis here.

Our agenda was as follows:

• Oppose sales taxes on services (not introduced yet)
• Oppose comparative fault (Senate Bill 465,  Comparative Fault for Auto)
• Support HSA / HDHP legislation (House Bill 135 / Senate Bill 137, Health Insurance Coverage for Male Sterilization)
• Support Maryland Healthy Working Families Act – Enforcement – Delayed Implementation (SB 304)
• Oppose efforts to nullify non-disclosure agreements and non-compete agreements (not introduced yet)
• Act as trusted advisors to the legislature and governor for Maryland tax policy regarding the impact of the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017
• Watch 3,000 bills for any unintended consequences to CPAs and businesses.

Last week, we testified in support of SB 137 before the Senate Finance Committee. Members of the committee agreed the emergency legislation is needed and should be acting ASAP. Here is the latest on the HSA / HDHP deductibility issue.

Your work at CPA Day also helped urge the Senate Finance Committee to pass SB 304, Maryland Healthy Working Families Act – Enforcement – Delayed Implementation unanimously out of committee. The bill could go to the Senate floor as early as this Monday evening. This will be a photo finish, since the implementation date is Feb. 11 — less than a week away.

Then we saw comparative fault introduced for automobile accidents, with SB 465 set for a hearing this week. We will be submitting written testimony against the bill.

Finally, the tax proposals are in full gear and we needed a separate post to document all of this activity. Our State Tax Advisory Group will be meeting with the House Ways and Means Committee this Friday to testify and offer our guidance on the many tax proposals expected.

See all of our legislative/regulatory updates here.