§466-1  Purpose.  It is the policy of
this State, and the purpose of this chapter to promote the reliability of
information that is used for guidance in financial transactions or for
accounting for or assessing the financial status or performance of commercial
and noncommercial enterprises, whether public or private.  The public interest
requires that persons professing special competence in accountancy or offering
assurance as to the reliability or fairness of presentation of such information
shall have demonstrated their qualifications to do so, and that persons who
have demonstrated and maintained such qualifications be permitted to hold
themselves out as having such special competence or to offer such assurance;
that the professional conduct of persons licensed as having special competence
in accountancy be regulated in a manner consistent with nationally recognized
standards of professional conduct; that a public authority competent to
prescribe and assess the qualifications and to regulate the professional
conduct of practitioners of public accountancy be established; and that the use
of titles relating to the practice of public accountancy that are likely to
mislead the public as to the status or competence of the persons using such
titles be prohibited. [L 1973, c 158, pt of §2; am L 1989, c 110, §3]