February 2011
Great news!
Washington design community:
The session officially ended yesterday, and practice act bill which would have regulated interior design in Washington state is DEAD.
This bill got NO traction thanks to the hard work of IDPC Northwest Chair Tami Michaels. Tami and her team of IDPC members worked tirelessly to make sure legislators in Olympia knew exactly how the bill would harm Washington's design community, Washington's veterans, and Washington's economy. Also, we wish to thank to our colleagues at Puget Sound NKBA, who sent many letters to the legislature.
IDPC is the ONLY nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to protect EVERYONE in the design community.
But unfortunately, the proponents of the bill will try to re-introduce it next year. Please join us in making sure that the next bill never sees the light of day.
Feb 2011
Look Out!
Washington design community:
A practice act bill to regulate interior design has just been introduced in your legislature.
If enacted, this bill would be one of the most restrictive interior design laws in the country and prohibit the majority of the design community from practicing.
IDPC is the ONLY organization whose sole mission is to protect EVERYONE in the design community.
IDPC members and sponsors -- you will shortly be receiving more information including bill analysis, talking points, legislator contact information, sample letters and all other updates pertinent to defeating this bill.
April 2010
Thank you
to everyone who attended IDPC-NW Washington chapter's first meeting on Tuesday
night - you made our event a huge success!
We
had so many people sign up for membership to support our crusade that we ran out
of applications! No worries, our credit card master, Eric Goranson improvised
and we were able to process everyone.
Patti
Morrow gave a power point presentation outlining the history and future of both
the national and Washington regulatory schemes. Among the many issues discussed
were:
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Maria,
Guy, Patti
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- The different types
of interior design regulations and how ALL of them would negatively impact the
design community - which includes related businesses like retailers, showrooms,
contractors, stagers, kitchen & bath industry, etc.
- The misinformation
perpetuated by the cartel vs. the TRUTH.
- IDPC's spearheading
of the Freedom Movement and their amazing results over the last 4
years.
- Why it absolutely
imperative that Washington state have both local and national representation on
this issue.
- The differences
between WAPPDF and IDPC-NW, i.e. their current investigation into compromise
legislation, why IDPC believes NO compromise is needed. A public invitation was
given to WAPPDF (5 of their board members attended the meeting) to join us in
our mission to keep WA totally regulation free.
- Call to action to
participate in the process that has a direct impact on their
future.
Tami
Michaels, Chair of IDPC-NW Washington chapter, gave an impassioned speech about
how she became involved, the impact on Washington State, and the need for the
design community to help us reach our goals - protect the livelihoods of all
designers. Tami impressed upon the crowd that it is not okay to just sit by and
allow a select few to marginalize the
majority who do not fit their one-size-fits-all vision for
our industry.
NO
COMPROMISE!
NO DESIGNER LEFT
BEHIND!
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Kevin
and Tami
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A
special thank you to our Master of Ceremonies, Kevin Kurbs, and our host,
the Designer Furniture Galleries. The jam packed, standing room only audience
included a diverse cross section of the Washington design community,
including the president of the IDCW, the group behind the push to regulate
interior design in Washington. It is always amusing to us (and a dead giveaway)
when our opponents try to "sneak" into our meetings - they arrive at the last
minute, run past the registration table without making eye contact, and try to
"hide" in the very back of the room. Here's a newsflash for the cartel:
There's no need for cloak and dagger tactics or "moles" - we encourage our
opponents to attend, our approach is truthful and totally above board, which I
concede may be a new concept for them to comprehend. It is our sincere hope
that after sitting through our meeting, our message is relayed back to the IDCW
and ASID:
We do
not need or want to be regulated.
We
are the majority.
We
have the support of 28 national organizations
We
have the support of the state's largest retailers.
On
Wednesday, Patti, Tami, Guy Rosbrook and Jeremy Fellows met with key,
influential legislators across the state. The meetings could not have gone any
better. Legislators who previously supported regulation were "flipped" when
they were presented with the REAL facts, truthful statistics, and actual
evidence. They were clearly impressed with the new and enormous opposition
brought to the table by IDPC-NW and the majority indicated they would not
support any
"compromise" unless IDPC-NW was on board. Kudos to Tami Michaels for her
extraordinary work in bringing the grassroots opposition to full fruition with
the Washington legislature!
But...
you just never know what will happen in the legislature, so we will keep the
pressure on. 
Especially
with elections coming up, the committee landscape could change. The IDPC-NW
chapter will need your help to put the final nails in IDCW's coffin.