Advocacy

Advocacy Statement

The IIDA NE Advocacy Committee champions the interior design profession through legislative action, education, and industry advancement. Advocacy extends beyond bill cycles to include pipeline (K-12) development, support for emerging professionals, professional advancement, and continuous member engagement. 

Legislation

Interior Design legislation helps establish and maintain professional standards that protect the health, safety and welfare of the general public. IIDA firmly believes that legal recognition, achieved through licensing, registration, and certification brings uniformity to the profession, defines responsibility, and encourages excellence in the Interior Design industry.

Currently, Interior Designers who are trained and qualified to work in a code-impacted environment are restricted from practicing to their fullest abilities in certain states. As the only major, unlicensed participants in the construction industry, these Interior Designers lack the ability to independently stamp and submit their work for building permits as required by the building code.

Legislative Spotlight in New England

IIDA VP of Advocacy, Emily Noel on behalf of the hardworking IIDA NE Advocacy Team:

Massachusetts Updates

Legislation providing independent practice rights for certified interior designers has advanced in the Senate. Senate Bill 3107 is now under review by the House.

This session’s bill has been strengthened through collaboration with AIA Massachusetts and other AEC organizations to ensure our legislation clearly defines our scope of practice and mirrors other professional laws within the Commonwealth.

We are now on step closer to legal recognition of the interior design profession in Massachusetts, and we need YOUR help to keep this momentum going. The house is now in informal session through the end of the year, which makes it a bit harder for our bill to get posted. We ask that you email your State Representative to ask them to advance S.3107. A strong showing of support for this bill is a vital step to establishing a registration process for commercial interior designers in Massachusetts.

Submitting a letter of support only takes a few minutes. Utilize the “message body” box to share a few words about why you personally support the legislation.  Enter your contact information, hit send, and your letter will automatically be sent to your Representative. 

Please be aware that anyone in MASSACHUSETTS can participate in this campaign, so please share this link with IN-STATE colleagues, industry partners, family, friends!

Click here to sent a letter of support to your representative

*Note - you MUST complete the form and click "SEND EMAIL" for your email to be processed and your letter sent.

Thank you for your continued support of the profession through the work you do every day in making the design community and the built environment a better place.

Rhode Island Updates

In January 2026, armed with our lobbyist, Mayforth Group, we officially submitted our legislation to both the Senate and the House with bill sponsors Senator Hanna Gallo and Representative Lauren Carson. Unlike Massachusetts, Rhode Island only has single year legislative cycle, meaning the committee had work quickly to hold important conversations with bill sponsors, legislators, and opposing parties to create and alignment of goals and language before the end of the cycle in late June.

In March, the committee testified in support of the legislation in front of both the House and Senate and received a positive outpouring of support in the form of written testimony from business owners, Architects, designers, and educators. The bill was ultimately held for further review, and did not end up making it to the floor for a vote by the end of the legislative session.

In our first year of pursuing legislation in Rhode Island, we have received an incredible amount of support, gathered an impressive list of bill sponsors and cosponsors, built and strengthened relationships with our fellow AEC professionals, and plan to do it all again in 2027. Rhode Island may be small, but the momentum continues to grow! Stay tuned for our updates and events for the end of 2026 and 2027.

Connecticut Updates

Connecticut is one of two States (joined by Maine!) that currently has established regulations for Interior Designers. In May of 2026, the Connecticut governor signed a bill into law that removed continuing education requirements for Interior Designers, as well as several other regulated professions. While this new legislation doesn’t currently change or restrict the ability to practice, it minimizes the experience and education that registered Interior Designers require to practice.

The Connecticut Advocacy team is actively working to grow and plant firm roots in the State, aiming to build relationships with local legislators and expand collaboration with the local AEC community over the next year.