PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER admits that he is but a fly on the wall in the big picture of ID regulation but man what a view it is. I am beginning to wonder if the so called Interior Design Cartel does not have a secret underground control and command center under some cornfield in North Dakota where a group of highly trained uniformed government lobbyist and policy wonks gaze up to a 1,000 square foot OLED map of the US and issue soft yet firm commands in their blue tooth headsets to ground based troops in each state capitol and territorial headquarters. But then I have a vivid imagination. Anyway there seems to be a slew of ID legislative efforts that appears to be coordinated. What troubles PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER most is that this effort, concerted or happenstance, is very hard to follow.  Since this effort impacts the entire ID profession the lack of transparency is frustrating at best. Unfortunately the only up to date (relatively speaking) source for nationwide perspective on the ID legislative effort is the Interior Design Protection Council and their puppet master the NKBA. Unfortunately it is very difficult to see through the fear mongering and misinformation that seems to fuel the IDPC’s efforts. I have posted before that I support their effort to defend “interior design” and “interior designers” and they should continue to do so (see Idaho). However, from what I can tell, most of the proposed title and practice legislation in the pipeline clearly excludes “interior designers” and their practice of “interior design”. The legalese has become very careful to allow interior decorators to call themselves interior designers and for kitchen and bath designers to practice residential kitchen and bath work without government oversight other than local codes.  Pursuing a title of “certified” or “registered” is clearly a choice. If you choose not to pursue that title you do not have to. Is it fair? Depends on your choices.

Here are some blurbs taken from various alerts issued by the IDPC.  Seems to be a lot of fear mongering and continued avoidance of the real issue that is interior designers are free to be interior designers. If you choose to raise your professional standards via “certification” or “registration” and ultimately licensure as a “certified” or “registered” interior designer that is your choice. No one is forcing you to do so and for you to claim that this is unfair well frankly it is. Deal with it.

UTAH: “Bruce Goff, ASID’s lead advocate for licensing, is now headed to YOUR state to persuade designers to introduce legislation that will compromise your ability to do your job”

ILLINOIS: “If this bill passes, it will be another 10 years before you get a chance to get rid of it, and stop the ASID-led cartel from demoting you to second-class status in your state.  Why should this small minority of Illinois NCIDQ-certified designers be entitled to a state-sanctioned title that places you at an unfair economic and marketing disadvantage?”

TENNESSEE: “This bill will establish regulation for “Licensed Interior Designers” and prevent you from providing full-service interior design, as you currently have done for years without harm to the public”

MASSACHUSETTS: “A title act bill which would allow only NCIDQ-certified designers to have a state-sanctified marketing advantage has been pre-filed.  The text is not yet available, so there may be additional anti-competitive restrictions within the bill.”

MISSISSIPPI: “On February 3rd, the Mississippi bill to regulate interior design through a title act — a first step in the incremental objective to enact full occupational licensing — passed the full Mississippi Senate. 

As you know, we were able to derail the practice act last year, but to-date, we have had no support from the design community to opposed this camel’s-nose-under-the tent regulatory scheme.”

IDAHO: “A practice act bill has been pre-filed with your legislature.  As you know, a practice act will prohibit you from practicing unless you are NCIDQ-certified.

I read an earlier draft of the bill; not only was this the most restrictive bill I’ve ever seen, but it was so absurd that even ASID’s National Headquarters rejected it!  How’s that for a bizarre turn of events?  The bill is being amended, and we expect it to be formally introduced any day”

Interesting aside on this one. This is where being a mere fly on the wall is frustrating.

CALIFORNIA: “Allegedly, some of ASID’s CA leadership recently met with the Interior Design Coalition of California (IDCC) lobbyist in San Diego.  We have also been told of large “donations” made to CA legislators over the last 12 months. 

In addition, IDCC has been sending out emails which attempt to discredit CA’s current voluntary, non-taxpayer funded certification administered by CCIDC”

WASHINGTON & OREGON: See my previous thread on these two legislative efforts

So the claims of unfairness and prohibitive legislation are really starting to sound like whining- there is very little to bitch about.  Unless you are intent on calling yourself “registered” or “certified” when you are not or the proposed legislation clearly crosses into 1st amendment territory (see Idaho) you have no dog in this hunt.  Poor dog.