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HomeRED Alert- Arizona
September 2011

New Bill, New Meetings

The Interior Design Coalition of Arizona has prepared another bill to regulate the practice of interior design in Arizona and is lobbying hard to have it heard in the legislature and passed next session.

We're seen the draft.  Don't be fooled into believing this bill is "voluntary."

Protect your rights!  It is critical that you attend the grassroots educational meetings scheduled in October.  We're holding it at two different locations for your convenience -- Phoenix and Tucson.

The flyer with all the logistics and details is here.




February 2011

DEAD...for now                Arizona design community:

A bill to regulate interior design which had been introduced in the legislature has been tabled by the sponsor due to so much opposition generated by IDPC and the NKBA.

A very special thank you to Tim Keller from the Arizona Chapter of the Institute for Justice for championing our cause and making sure Rep. Mesnard was presented with the TRUTH about the negative impact this regulation would have.

Also, thank you to IDPC member Betty Jones, a highly successful Tucson designer, who has worked tirelessly to educate and organize IDPC's grassroots in Arizona, and also Judy Thompson from the American Institute of Interior Design.  

Lastly, thank you to everyone who took time away from their busy schedules to call or write to the various legislators involved as the bill moved about.

More work is needed to grow our grassroots, because unfortunately, ASID and their puppet coalitions do not give up -- they will be back with yet another amended regulation bill for Arizona in 2012.  How do we know?  For one thing, we have learned that AZ ASID chapters now hold meetings by invitation only to those in support while excluding those who would voice opposition.  This kind of cloak-and-dagger approach is becoming more and more common and is in place so that the opposition will be caught off guard.


February 2011

Stop HB 2309!               2/20/11

stopIncredibly, Speaker of the House Adams is going to allow HB 2309 -- a bill which would regulate interior designers and restrict submission of construction documents to only NCIDQ-certified designers -- to have a hearing instead of requiring it to go through the Sunrise process. 

Arizona's Sunrise statute requires that any bill which would regulate a profession must provide evidence that such a law is needed to protect the public.  12 government agencies have already studied this issue and all have concluded that interior design regulation is not necessary.  We are confident the same conclusion would be reached in Arizona, and are a loss to understand why Speaker Adams has not allowed this bill to go through the Sunrise process and rise or fall on its own merits. 

This bill will:

  • Allow a small minority of Arizona designers an unmerited and unfair marketing advantage by bestowing them with a state-sanctioned title that will demote you and your services to second-class status;
  • Allow only NCIDQ-certified designers to submit non-structural plans for permitting.  If you currently submit non-structural, non-seismic plans, you will no longer be able to.  But even if you currently do not, why would you want to limit up your right to expand your future business?
  • Establish a foot in the door by enacting a regulatory scheme, which they will then be free to come back and expand by amendments into a more restrictive law, as we have already seen in many states.

IMMEDIATE ACTIONS REQUIRED: 

  1. Write, call, or fax the House Committee on Employment and Regulatory Affairs and voice your opposition. Your personal letter is always best, but feel free to use the sample letter below in whole or in part.
  2. Attend the hearing on Tuesday, February 15th at 2:00 at the State House. It is crucially important that the Committee see a LARGE group of opposition.

Sample letter available here.

HB 2309 available here.

  

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!  The hearing is only days away!  Please take a few minutes to protect your rights and save the date for February 15th to show your opposition.

 

Sincerely,

 

Executive Director

Interior Design Protection Council



February 2011

Letters Needed

writingAs you know the hearing that was scheduled for February 1st for the interior design bill was delayed so that Speaker Kirk Adams could determine if the proposal needs to go through a sunrise review process before being considered by the legislature.  We believe that it does, and have written to the Speaker encouraging him to do so, however since he still has not responded to our request, your assistance in writing to him would be very helpful in convincing him to act.
 
Letters and phone calls from designers in their state are very influential in persuading elected officials, so your help would be extremely valuable in convincing Speaker Adams that the bill MUST  go through an extensive sunrise review as required by law before any new legislation to  regulate a profession is passed. 

There are very specific criteria that must be met before occupational regulation may be considered, and we're confident that the design registration law cannot pass the strict requirements of the sunrise law.

No interior design bill has ever passed a Sunrise evaluation, and we believe this is the case in Arizona and would thereby kill this bill.

Click here for a sample letter to Speaker Adams.
Click here for contact information for Speaker Adams.

 

Thanks for your help in defeating this anti-competitive bill.

 

Sincerely,

 

Executive Director

Interior Design Protection Council



February 2011

Hearing Postponed

 

The hearing has been postponed because we've requested that a Sunrise evaluation should be done and the request is under consideration.  I will keep you informed on progress, but in the meantime, please do send letters to all Committee members as outlined below.  Thanks.

 

FYI, I've attached my letter to the House Committee that will/may hear this bill.

 

Executive Director

Interior Design Protection Council

 

heads upHeads Up!               

 

Arizona design community:

A bill to regulate interior design has been introduced in the legislature and scheduled for hearing on February 1, 2011.

 

If allowed to pass, this bill WILL impact your right to practice.

IDPC members and sponsors -- you will shortly be receiving more information on the hearing, bill analysis, talking points, legislator contact information, sample letters and all other updates pertinent to defeating this bill.





Jan 2011

Protect your rights! 

 

Action Needed to STOP HB 2309 

IDPC Arizona Members,

House Bill HB 2309 will place you at an unfair competitive marketing disadvantage and give a small special interest group special privileges. 

To protect your rights, please do these two things:

  1. Attend the hearing and register that you are opposed to HB 2309
  2. Contact the members of the House Employment and Regulatory Affairs Committee

The hearing on this design registration bill which will establish regulation of the entire interior design industry, a state-sanctioned title for interior designers, and grant sign and seal privileges of non-structural interior design plans and specifications to only NCIDQ-certified/registered interior designers, is scheduled for hearing on February 1, 2011 in the Employment and Regulatory Affairs Committee. 

 

This bill will create the a state-sanctioned marketing advantage for Registered Interior Designers and prohibit anyone who is not a Registered Interior Designer (or an architect or engineer) from preparing nonstructural interior design documents and specifications for interior finishes of a building or structure of any size, height, and occupancy and filing it for purposes of obtaining approval for a building permit.  To become registered, you must:

  • 40 semester hours of formal education culminating in a degree,
  • 3,520 hours of "diversified" interior design experience (the board will determine if your experience is "diversified" enough),

AND

  • an exam "approved by the board" which of course is the NCIDQ exam, which has historically had a 40% first-time passage rate for all 3 sections taken at the same time and can cost $2,000 or more to take.

This bill will absolutely impact your ability to compete in the fair and open market.


All this bill will do is divide the design community into those who are recognized by the state as having some sort of special skill and expertise...and all others who are unable to become state registered -- making you a second class citizen in your field.  Certainly, the public will attach undue added value to state recognition and place you at an unfair competitive disadvantage in seeking work. Why should the state help a small group of designers market their services over those of their competitors? They should compete on the merits of their ability, portfolio and client references and let the client decide.


Contact each member of the Committee and let them know how harmful and unnecessary this bill is. 

Sample letter to Committee available here.
Contact info for Committee available here.
HB 2309 available here.


Jan 2011

heads upHeads Up!               

 

Arizona design community:

A bill to regulate interior design has been introduced in the legislature and scheduled for hearing on February 1, 2011.

 

If allowed to pass, this bill WILL impact your right to practice.

IDPC members and sponsors -- you will shortly be receiving more information on the hearing, bill analysis, talking points, legislator contact information, sample letters and all other updates pertinent to defeating this bill.