Policies and Procedures
1. Bi-Annual continuing professional education (CPE) reporting periods end on June 30. A new certificate holder’s first bi-Annual reporting period shall run from the date of certification until the next June 30 plus two (2) years. Subsequent reporting periods shall be every two (2) years. For example, those first certified in November 2007 and March 2008 will have their first reporting period end on June 30, 2010.
Recognizing the need to have a transition period from the triennial to bi-Annual reporting, the following schedule has been adopted:
CGFO’s with the CPE submission date of June 30, 2007, will begin the bi-annual submission on July 1, 2007 with their next CPE submission due on June 30, 2009.
Future CPE submission dates will be 2011, 2013, 2015, etc. CGFO’s with the CPE submission date of June 30, 2008, will begin the bi-annual submission on July 1, 2008 with their next CPE submission due on June 30, 2010.
Future CPE submission dates will be 2012, 2014, 2016, etc. CGFO’s with the CPE submission date of June 30, 2009, will begin the bi-annual submission on July 1, 2009 with their next CPE submission due on June 30, 2011. Future CPE submission dates will be 2013, 2015, 2017, etc.
2. A CGFO holding a Florida Certified Public Accounting License may elect to have his/her reporting period run concurrent to their Florida reporting period. CGFO’s may request a short renewal period in order to bring the two reporting periods concurrent according to the following schedule. For short period renewals, CPE credits will be prorated at 40 per year.
CGFO’s with the CPE submission date of June 30, 2007, with a June 30, 2008 CPA reporting period may elect to renew for one year, July 1, 2007 – June 30, 2008 and begin their bi-annual submission on July 1, 2008.
CGFO’s with the CPE submission date of June 30, 2008, with a June 30, 2009 CPA reporting period may elect to renew for one year, July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009 and begin their bi-annual submission on July 1, 2009.
CGFO’s with the CPE submission date of June 30, 2009, with a June 30, 2008 CPA reporting period may elect to begin their bi-annual reporting schedule as of July 1, 2006 for a June 30, 2008 renewal date. Under this election, 80 CPE credits would be due for the period July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2008.
All future CGFO’s may request a short renewal period to enable their renewal period to coincide with their Florida CPA renewal period. If this election is taken, 40 CPE credits would be required for the first renewal period (from certification date to the next June 30 plus one year).
3. The Florida Government Finance Officers Association office will maintain the CPE files for the program. Bi-Annual reporting forms shall be mailed to the Florida Government Finance Officers Association office in the month following the end of the reporting period and must be postmarked on or before July 31 of the reporting year. To defray administrative costs, a review and continuing certification fee of $40.00 must be remitted with the CPE reporting form.
Forms mailed with a postmark after July 31 of the reporting year must include the $40.00 continuing certification fee, a $25.00 late fee, and proof of attendance for all non -FGFOA sponsored CPE’s being reported.
4. CPE reporting forms are reviewed by a subcommittee of the certification committee. The committee reserves the right to review all submissions and request additional information. Certificate holders need to send only their reporting forms. Supporting documentation must be maintained by each certificate holder for a period of two years after the reporting date.
5. Any deficiencies in CPE credits must be corrected within six months of notification. Any additional hours required may not be counted in the subsequent CPE reporting period.
6. In any given two-year reporting period, each certificate holder must have completed a minimum of 80 hours of continuing professional education, of which at least 20 hours must have been in accounting, auditing and/or technical business-related subjects and of which no more than 20 hours may be in behavioral subjects, beginning with the reporting period ending June 30, 2007. For short period renewals all requirements will be prorated. Educational instruction or training in the following subjects or courses of study are formal programs of learning, which enhances the professional competency of certificate holders and relates to their work requirements.
a. Accounting-related subjects or courses include, but are not limited to, governmental accounting (including current authoritative literature in generally accepted governmental accounting principles and the Pronouncements of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board), financial accounting (including current authoritative literature in generally accepted accounting principles and the Pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the Financial Accounting Standards Board) and accounting for certain specialized industries (e.g., public utilities, colleges and universities, not-for-profit organizations, etc.).
b. Auditing-related subjects or courses include, but are not limited to, Government Auditing Standards, 2007 revision, and as may be revised from time to time, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, commonly referred to as the “Yellow Book,” general auditing theory and practice (including current authoritative literature in generally accepted auditing standards and the Statements on Auditing Standards promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants), auditing for certain specialized industries (e.g., public utilities, colleges and universities, not-for-profit organizations, etc.) and audit applications to computers and information systems.
c. Technical business-related subjects or courses include, but are not limited to, debt administration, treasury and cash management, pension administration and operating and capital budgeting.
d. Related subjects include, but are not limited to, taxation, human resources management and general business (including, but not limited to, economics, business law, production or operational systems, marketing, finance, quantitative applications in business and business policy and computers and information systems without audit applications).
e. Behavioral subjects or courses include, but are not limited to, oral and written communications, the social environment of government/business and managerial effectiveness.
Professional development courses must provide for an outline (defined as a schedule of activity listing major topics of discussion) to be prepared in advance and be retained, be at least one contact hour (50 minutes) in length, be conducted by a qualified instructor, lecturer or discussion leader and require that a record of registration and attendance be maintained. If a record of registration and attendance is not maintained by the sponsoring organization, the certificate holder must be able to prove registration and attendance.
Formal correspondence or self study programs must have a registration requirement, be developed primarily as an educational activity, provide evidence of satisfactory completion and conduct an evaluation to determine whether learning objectives were met. Continuing professional education credit for formal correspondence or self study courses shall be an amount equal to the average completion time established by the course sponsor or actual completion time by the certificate holder, whichever is less.
Certain types of activities DO NOT qualify for CPE credit because they are not sufficiently related to the practice of governmental accounting or because they are not structured as formal courses. The following DO NOT qualify for CPE credit:
• Instructing or attending basic or elementary courses.
• Proctoring examinations such as the CGFO or CPFO.
• Attendance at Software Users Group Conferences.
The certification committee may ask for additional information regarding CPE classes not sponsored by: FGFOA, or another recognized professional organization such as the GFOA, FICPA, AICPA, Fitch Training, Institute of Internal Auditors, Municipal Treasurers' Association and Ultimate CPE, or approved by the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA), especially in-house training, self-study programs and programs that appear to cover basic elements of accounting and budgeting. Be proactive and provide a copy of the agenda or synopsis of the topics covered in such training with your renewal form.
7. A certificate holder may earn up to 40 CPE hours for professional involvement within a reporting period as follows.
a. Ten (10) CPE credits per year are earned for an FGFOA officer, director, committee chair, Local Chapter officer, director, or committee chair, GFOA officer, director, committee chair or state representative.
b. Five (5) CPE credits per year are awarded for an FGFOA, GFOA, Local Chapter committee member or committee member of a related organization, such as the AICPA, FICPA, FLC, ASPA and related associations.
c. Five (5) CPE credits are allowed for each entity reviewed for a GFOA Certificate of Achievement Awards Program or GFOA Budget Awards Program.
8. Double hours are allowed for instructing a qualified initial session.
a. Instruction includes only those contact hours directly taught by the individual. If teaching is part of a panel, the certificate holder shall report only the part instructed by them.
b. The second instruction of a topic qualifies for single hours and none for subsequent presentations.
9. A CPE hour of credit shall be granted for 50 minutes of educational contact in a training setting. Report whole hours only, no fractions. Fractional hours must be rounded down to the nearest whole hour. Any fractional hours reported will be removed.
10. In a college class setting 12 CPE credits will be granted for classes based on the Quarter System and 15 CPE credits will be granted for classes based on the Semester System (i.e. 45 CPEs will be granted for a 3 credit hour course). Double hours are allowed for instructing a qualified initial session. The second instruction of a topic qualifies for single hours and none for subsequent presentations. Eligible classes are preferred to be junior or senior level classes to include but are not limited to accounting, budgeting, finance, risk management, debt administration, treasury and cash management, pension administration, taxation, economics, business law, etc.
11. Beginning with the reporting period ending June 30, 2007, each certificate holder must successfully pass the open book Code of Ethics for Public Offices and Employees Examination. A minimum score of 75% is required for a passing score. Certificate holders will be given sixty (60) days to complete the exam. Should a certificate holder not achieve a minimum score of 75%, a second open book Ethics Exam will be administered. Should a certificate holder not pass the second exam, they will be required to complete the Florida Commission on Ethics’ online training course titled “Florida’s Code of Ethics, Sunshine Law, and Public Records Acts”, or any other equivalent training course, which may be approved by the FGFOA Board. Revised January 2010 4
12. Failure of a certificate holder to maintain membership in the FGFOA, either active membership or associate membership within a six-month grace period, will cause the certificate to be suspended. In order to return to active status, a certificate holder must pay the current annual active membership fee for each year membership in the FGFOA was not maintained, plus a fifty dollar ($50) reinstatement fee.
Failure to report CPE or to make up any deficiencies in CPE reported, within the six-month grace period following notification by certified mail to the last known address of the certificate holder, will cause the certificate to be suspended. In order to return to active status the CGFO must complete ten hours of CPE in addition to that required in the bi-annual period being made up. Any hours being reported for one biannual period cannot be reported in subsequent reporting periods.
13. Failure to successfully pass the Ethics Exam, within the six-month grace period following notification by certified mail to the last known address of the certificate holder, will cause the certificate to be suspended. In order to return to active status, the CGFO must complete the Florida Commission on Ethic’s online training course titled “Florida’s Code of Ethics, Sunshine Law, and Public Records Acts”, or any other equivalent training course, which may be approved by the FGFOA Board.
14. While on suspended status the CGFO designation cannot be used. A certificate on suspended status for more than two years shall be revoked. In order to be certified once a certificate has been revoked, a member must reapply and meet all the requirements of becoming a CGFO, including taking and passing the exam.
15. Upon retirement, a CGFO may request their certification be placed on retired status. Lacking a request from the certificate holder, the FGFOA Board may place a certificate on retired status