A new pro-licensing group, the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing, has made its debut partly through the efforts of the American Institute of CPAs and the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy. In announcing the new coalition Aug. 12, the two established groups said its purpose is "educating policymakers and the public about the importance of rigorous professional licensing standards" in professions like certified public accountancy.

The state-level trend has been the other way, and the new coalition is meant to fight the deregulatory trend. "Weakening professional licensing standards on a state-by-state basis will destroy the confidence in qualifications and completely disrupt existing mobility models for advanced professions like ours," said Barry Melancon, a CPA who is CEO of AICPA.

Other ARPL members include the American Institute of Architects, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying and the National Society of Professional Engineers.

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