Members Put Advocacy in Motion at the State Capital

More than 30 members of the NJCPA descended on the State House in Trenton on Oct. 29 for the Society’s second CPA Day at the State Capital. A breakfast meeting at the Historic Trenton Masonic Temple kicked off the event, followed by a lively discussion on New Jersey’s political scene, a tour of the State House including the Senate and General Assembly chambers and candid talks with state legislators. 

Advancing CPAs 

Aiysha (AJ) Johnson, MA, IOM, CEO and executive director at the NJCPA, welcomed attendees and reiterated how important advocacy is to the accounting profession. Chris M. Lovasz, CPA, managing director at Deloitte and the 2026/27 president of the NJCPA, reminded attendees to “share their story” with legislators, noting that a brief conversation today could turn into a relationship that the NJCPA can build on in the future.

Matthew Crawley, lead manager of state advocacy at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA), explained one of the key pieces of federal legislation that the AICPA is backing is designating accounting as a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subject. He noted that the Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2025 (H.R. 2911) is a “great example of partnership success,” where the AICPA, state CPA societies and other constituents have led a strong advocacy push to get the word out. In New Jersey, the state Assembly passed A4236, a similar bill. A vote is pending on the Senate version of the bill. 

Crawley also explained that the AICPA is looking for state society support of legislation it is endorsing, the Fiscal State of the Nation Act (H.R.7026), which would require an annual, nonpartisan briefing to Congress on the nation’s financial position. This was reintroduced in the House in January of 2026. According to Crawley, AICPA advocacy efforts have included reaching out to legislative sponsors and initiating op-ed pieces and other communication. 

A panel of experts hosted by Jeff Kaszerman, vice president of government relations at the NJCPA, featured Maggie Moran, CEO and founder of Moxie Strategies, a public relations firm, and former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Jon Corzine; Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics at Rider University; and David Smith, strategic advisor and lobbyist at Princeton Public Affairs Group. 

In thinking about what makes New Jersey’s political machine tick, Rasmussen noted that the New Jersey governorship is “the strongest in the nation,” due to many of the offices that are appointed by the governor and not elected. This has been the case historically due to making sure the position of the governor was strong enough to stand up to local government or the “regional power brokers” or “party power brokers” in the state, he said.

Smith added that “New Jersey voters are cranky voters,” noting that polling numbers tend to swing according to priorities at any given time even on candidates that are once favored. Looking at Governor Mikie Sherrill’s term so far, he gives her an absolute “A” on her handling of the state’s affairs.

Moran said political volatility among voters is important to keep an eye on when parties go too far in one direction. She said in considering the Democratic Party in the state, it’s important to remember that New Jersey “voters might be blue but a lot of voters see purple when it comes to their wallet.” She added, “It’s a remarkably expensive state.” Not taking that volatility seriously enough could be a problem for Democrats, she said. Her advice to voters overall is not to be too removed from politics, noting to “get political and get political fast.”

Legislative Outreach

After a walk to the State House, Smith introduced NJCPA members to various lawmakers, thanking them for their votes on New Jersey’s STEM bill, where appropriate, and for their continued willingness to listen to the challenges facing CPAs and the business community.

Attendees met with the following lawmakers: Assemblywoman Linda S. Carter (D-22), Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-23), Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-16), Assemblywoman Tennille R. McCoy (D-14), Assemblyman Gary S. Schaer (D-36) and Assemblyman Sterley Stanley (D-18).

Supporting the NJCPA’s advocacy efforts, the following firm partners sponsored the event: CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), CohnReznick, EisnerAmper, HBK CPAs & Consultants, PKF O’Connor Davies LLP, WilkinGuttenplan, Wiss and Withum.