Happenings at the Board of Directors' July meeting.

Following are some of the more significant actions and events that took place at the AICPA Board of Directors' meeting July 13-14:

* AICPA Chair of the Board of Directors Leslie Murphy updated the board on her outreach activities. Since its Feb. meeting, she has made 10 state CPA society presentations, among others.

* At the request of two state societies affected by Hurricane Katrina, the board approved a resolution that makes the AICPA's CPE requirements consistent with those of the state accountancy boards in affected areas.

* Relocation milestones remain on target. The new facility in Durham, N.C., will be ready for occupancy this month, and human resource, construction and furniture costs are on budget.

* Activities in the tax area were outlined. Among them, the exposure draft on Statement for Standards for Tax Services No. 9 (The CPA Letter, Feb.) and comments regarding the IRS's proposed changes to Circular 230 (The CPA Letter, July). Some modifications to Circular 230 are expected this fall.

* Major issues affecting the profession were discussed. Recruitment of CPA candidates, trends and forces impacting small CPA firm practices and succession issues, and initiatives to maintain and improve CPAs' quality of services were highlighted.

* Representatives from the National Association of Black Accountants reported on its strong and growing partnership with the AICPA. Key initiatives for 2007 and possible collaborative efforts were covered.

* Updates were provided on the Employee Benefit Plan Audit Quality Center and the Governmental Audit Quality Center. Both Centers have experienced significant membership growth and have been very active with member programs, communications, advocacy and promotion (www.aicpa.org/EBPAQC; www.aicpa.org/GAQC).

* Various reports to board members summarized several ongoing activities. Some of the topics discussed: efforts in the international area to converge ethics standards and accounting standards, work on a revised business valuation standard, progress of the Special Committee on Mobility, and a move toward providing greater access to peer review reports by state accountancy boards.