Practice Acts

A Practice Act is a bill that limits ones right to “PRACTICE” certain roles and functions. In the case of ASID, they would then ask the state to enact a LAW that prohibits you from practicing certain functions within the scope of your business unless you have passed the NCIDQ.   In addition, you must have a 4 –year degree in Interior Design from a qualified school, have apprenticed under a licensed interior designer that has passed the NCIDQ, and taken the exam  

Some currently stipulated restrictions in most Practice Acts are: space planning, (i.e. furniture layouts), which is prohibited under many practice acts unless you have passed the NCIDQ.  Some practice acts, like the one in Alabama (which subsequently  was struck down and declared unconstitutional by the Alabama supreme court), was so absurdly restrictive as to prohibit the placement of throw pillows as only allowable by licensed designers.  Further, the “psychology of color” is listed by the pro-regulation faction as one of the “10 Ways Designers Save Lives,” and if left unabated, the ASID would presume to legislate which colors stagers (decorators, redesigners, et.al.) would be able to suggest for walls and other surfaces, and/or restrict their ability to recommend color or paint changes at all.
 
RESA sees these as very important issues as these Practice Acts will affect the professional stager’s rights to conduct business. Historically, title acts have been a "foot in the door" which then provided momentum for petitioning for a Practice Act.