The AICPA's plan to create a new, international association with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) will move forward after members of both groups voted to approve the proposal, according to the Institute.

"Voting concluded in separate AICPA and CIMA membership ballots on June 16 and a supermajority of members who voted from both organizations endorsed the proposal," the AICPA reported in an article sent to state societies that announced the results of the ballot initiative.

Only 13.5 percent of AICPA members opposed to the proopsal; even fewer CIMA members, 10.3 percent rejected the plan, the AICPA said. The Institute did not release the actual number of votes for or against the plan.

Both the Institute and CIMA will integrate operations through the new association but will also retain their own distinct membership bodies, according to the AICPA. This means that, while members will be automatically enrolled in the new association, they will also keep their memberships in their respective organizations, along with the benefits that go with them, and without paying any additional dues as a result. Both organizations would also retain their own separate governance bodies, and continue to carry out their original mandates—in the case of the AICPA, to support and advocate for the CPA profession in the U.S.