Category: Texas Interior Design Legislation

Turning Up the Heat on Registered Interior Designers in Texas

update December 19th:

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission voted AGAINST deregulating Registered Interior Designers.  Texas RID’s are safe for at least 12 more years UNLESS the deregulation bill proposed by Texas State Representative Bill Callegari (see below) makes it to the floor in Austin and by miracle is passed. STAY TUNED

PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER is trying to stay on top of the effort to deregulate interior design in Texas….which from the middle of Kansas is easier said than done.  If I get any of this wrong please let me know.

Here is the latest update from the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission;

http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/83rd/eng/eng_dm.pdf
Here from page #20 o is the key sentence “Staff Recommended Action
Adopt Recommendations 1.1 through 1.4.”

I am not a rocket surgeon but I read that as…despite overwhelming and compelling requests/testimony to deny the Advisory Commission’s recommendation to deregulate interior design in Texas, the Commission is still hell bent on making it happen.  NOT COOL.

To make matters worse Texas State Representative Bill Callegari is on the warpath to roll back state regulation of all sorts…including interior design;

http://www.house.state.tx.us/news/press-releases/?id=4129&session=82&district=132&bill_code=2295

So Texas Registered Interior Designers…..the sun is getting lower on your horizon.

THE HEAT IS OFF…..UNTIL THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE OPENS ITS 2013 SESSION

Scanning through the list of those who support sunset deregulation of interior design and those who speak against it amongst the usual interior decorator cum designers and NKBA extremists, PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER notes several ASID and NCIDQ members in support of the Advisory Commission’s recommendation to deregulate ID.  Those members should be stripped of their credentials.  You could say that the ASID credential is conflicted and compromised. That organization clearly tries to play both sides of the ID regulation coin and in so doing is tacitly promoting the bi-polar identity crisis we continue to suffer . But for somebody to sign in support of ID deregulation with the NCIDQ credential (displayed incorrectly I might add) is tantamount to treason….in my not so humble opinion.

Now on the third side of the professional identity/allegiance coin PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER also notes numerous AIA members signing to protest the Advisory Commission’s recommendation to deregulate ID. This flies in the face of their own professional organizations very public position to deregulate interior design.  So is it acceptable to put money in the offering basket while practicing sinful acts?  (rhetorical question- I know the answer but had to work in the religion angle just for grins)

While I vehemently support the regulation of interior designers that allows them to practice as peers with, or independent of, other licensed design professionals I must reiterate that keeping all of our professional validation cookies in Uncle Sam’s regulatory basket is a poor strategic business decision.  We must take control of policing our own professional society first and foremost. Once we have clearly defined our value to society and justified our right to be considered peers with other licensed design professional then, and only then, will we be granted the right to be regulated unfettered by the whims of conservative partisan political dogma.

More on this political conundrum and what it means for us later.

Texas Interior Design Sunset Update

See page #20a for updated TBAE board comments and public comments.

http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/83rd/eng/eng_hm.pdf

Kudos to Kathy Hendricks.  The Texas ID profession owes her big time.

PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER is not sure how, or when, this issue will be resolved but it is clear that if ID legislation in Texas is deregulated it will be against the will of the people.  Stay Tuned.

NOVEMBER 26th- The Texas Association of Interior Designers and IIDA sponsor two forums (Thursday November 29 & December 6) regarding the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission’s recommendation to eliminate Interior Design Registration in that state. 

http://supporttaid.org/

Texas Interior Design Regulation Goes Under Sunset Review This Morning

Hearing on Sunsetting Registered Interior Design Regulation in Texas

From a LinkedIn discussion on the same topic;

There is a hearing in Austin on Nov.13th. The agenda is available here: http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/83rd/Agendas/Nov_13.pdf.
Donna Vining (Exec. Director of Texas Association for Interior Design) wrote the following:
“Obviously, anyone who wants to testify, may do so. PLEASE be aware the Sunset commission will not appreciate a lot of disjointed testimony. A couple of years ago I watched the process in Florida when everyone wanted to say something and all the legislators began to glaze over. When you arrive, you will complete a card and it will ask you if you want to testify. If you check yes, you will be called upon in random order. My advice is if someone has already said the same thing you want to say, when you are called on, stand and give your name and say that your testimony has already been given.

One of the most important things we need are numbers to sign cards and say that are against the deregulation of registered interior designers and then check the box for “Do not wish to Testify”. Remember the cards can be signed by anyone, family, friends, clients, etc. The sheer number of people in the audience will make a BIG impression on the legislators. Many people take the time to call, email or fax but the number is much smaller when we talk about the people willing to come to Austin for their profession.”

If you are not already a member of TAID now would be a good time to look into it…we could use the funds to help fight things like this. http://www.supporttaid.org/

Thanks to Shelby Papp for this info.

P.S. If you need some talking points please see my previous post and these well informed letters to the board http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/83rd/ae/responses/chart.htm

KEEPING THE SUN FROM SETTING ON R.I.D.’s IN TEXAS

First it was Florida, then Virginia now Texas seems to be the latest battleground for the deregulation of Interior Design.  The Texas Board of Architectural Examiners Staff just issued a report recommending that Texas cease regulating that states registered interior designers….

From page #17 of the report;

Recommendations
Change in Statute
1.1 Discontinue the regulation of registered interior designers.
This recommendation would remove the title act for interior designers from statute. The State would no longer regulate the profession of interior design or interior design firms, and all regulatory functions related to this profession would cease on the effective date of the provision.

http://www.sunset.state.tx.us/83rd/ENG/ENG_SR.pdf

PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER notes this effort by Texas RID Beverly Vosko via her CHANGE.ORG petition;

http://www.change.org/petitions/the-sunset-commission-keep-rid-s-regulated-under-texas-law

Since the TBAS reviewers recommended that if the Texas RID regulations are sunsetted (read shit-canned) that the vacant seat on the licensing board be filled with a Landscape Architect….because they can specify soft playground materials to keep kids from hurting themselves….me thinks the review panel is a bit…..shall I say under the influence of the ASLA and AIA.  Not to mention that killing the RID regulation will mean an almost $1,000,000.00 hit to the state coffers.  Seems to make sense to just leave it as is- but what do I know?

More on this later. PROFESSIONALINTERIORDESIGNER recommends that the Texas Association for Interior Design learn from the trials and tribulations of the deregulation efforts in Florida and Virginia…See my previous posts for contact info.

Don’t let the Sun go down on you!

Texas Interior Design Bill 2011

http://www.scribd.com/doc/50072634/HB-2142-HB02142I-Texas-Legislature-via-MyGov365-com

I am not sure where this stands but somebody clearly wants to eliminate ID registration in the big state of Texas….Hmmmm!

Oh Okay We Were Just Goofin’ With Ya!

HEY YA KNOW ALL THAT EFFORT AND ANGST WE COERCED YOU TO INVEST IN OUR PROFESSION…JUST KIDDING!!!!! 

  

   

From an open letter in the December 2009 ASID Newsletter ICON I have just discovered that ASID no longer supports Interior Design regulation. 

That’s what I get for not being a member….. 

  

“That’s why the legislative agenda for ASID today focuses on providing clear choices—for designers and the public. 

We are not interested in regulating interior design. Our goal is to open doors for the profession, 

and to clarify choices for designers and clients as to paths they can take to fulfill their professional goals and design needs.”  

   

So everything you will read on this blog is moot. 

THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. 

Alllll rrriiggghhhty THEN! 

Okay Buh BYE!