Advocacy

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.

Spotlight

IIDA VP of Advocacy, Amanda Vigneau on behalf of the hardworking IIDA NE Advocacy Team:

Massachusetts Updates:

BREAKING: Legislation providing for 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 one step closer to legal recognition of the interior design profession in Massachusetts, and we need YOUR help to keep this momentum going! 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, similar to what many states have already in place.   

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:

2025 was a big year for Rhode Island, with the Advocacy committee growing in members and momentum as we held conversations with our Architectural colleagues, hosted educational events, and refined future bill language. The year was capped off with receiving a grant from the National Consortium for Interior Design (IIDA, ASID, and CIDQ) to help provide funding for our legislative efforts.

In January 2026, armed with our lobbyist, McAuliffe Group, we officially submitted ourlegislation to both the Senate and the House with bill sponsors Senator Hanna Gallo andRepresentative Lauren Carson. Unlike Massachusetts, Rhode Island only has a one yearlegislative cycle, meaning the committee is working diligently to hold importantconversations with bill sponsors, legislators, and opposing parties to create an alignmentof goals and language before the end of the cycle in late June. On March 10th, thecommittee testified in front of the Senate Commerce Committee. Twelve individuals intotal testified in support of the legislation, ranging from small business owners, Architects,designers, and educators. It was an incredible showing from this smallbut mightycommunity! The bill was held by the committee for further review. The House hearings willtake place late March or early April, giving the team another opportunity to testify.

Once all initial hearings have taken place, both the Senate and House will review the bill and any necessary amendments, and eventually send it to the floor for a vote. If the bill is favorably reported out of both chambers, it will be sent to the Governor’s desk to be signed into a law. While there were some anticipated testimonies in opposition to the bill, AIA Rhode Island has agreed to an in-person meeting to discuss concerns from the membership. We are looking forward to an opportunity to collaborate with our Architectural colleagues and hopefully come to a state of non-opposition.

As noted, we only have a few months left until the end of the legislative cycle, so we need your help to keep this momentum going! If you live or work in RI, please consider emailing you State Representative or State Senator and urge them to support S2518 / H7842