The Latest

Online bill management and payment service Bill.com has become available in the Google Apps Marketplace, an online storefront for Google Apps products and services.

The U.S. District Court in Houston has entered a final judgment in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s civil action against Robert S. Furst, a former senior investment banker at Merrill Lynch who was in charge of the banking relationship with Enron.

State tax revenues fell 8.9 percent nationwide from fiscal year 2008 to 2009, with 45 states seeing a decline in state-level tax collections, according to a Tax Foundation analysis of new U.S. Census data.

The National Society of Accountants has added KineticD’s online storage, recovery and access service to its member benefits program.

The Internal Revenue Service needs to improve the security of a Web portal used by tax preparers to electronically file tax returns and submit and retrieve other tax-related information, according to a new report.

The New York State Society of CPAs has appointed Joanne S. Barry as its new executive director.

The Internal Revenue Service has issued new guidance on the recently passed health care reform bill to clarify that small businesses receiving state health care tax credits can still qualify for the full federal health care tax credit, and they can receive the health care tax credit not only for regular health insurance but also for add-on dental and vision coverage.

MAY

Ten accountingfirms with top-notch retention and advancing programs for women have been namedthe Best Accounting Firms for Women by the American Society of WomenAccountants and the American Woman’s Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Over the past decade, I have not dedicated a lot of space in this column to the undertakings of the various state societies, save to weigh in on scattered initiatives and lob several "nobody asked me but"...opinions out to our online audience.