Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/66147
AssociationHighlights The Fight Continues on the Interior Design Issue ment industry, recently came together to ensure that Patti Morrow, the presi- dent of Interior Design Protection Consulting ( IDPC ), would be able to continue her work on issues regarding design regulations on our behalf.Here is a brief update from Patti Morrow: A WhatWe are Fighting Formore than 30 years, Ray Herrick Executive Vice President ray@feda.com the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) has aggressively lobbied for legislation that would effectively put anyone engaged in any scope of interior design services out of business—elimi- nating their competition. What is at stake is one ssociations, buying groups and individual companies, all repre- senting the foodservice equip- Our side (aka "the Freedom Move- ment") consists of IDPC, the foodservice equipment industry (FEDA, NAFEM, FCSI, MAFSI, seven buying groups and other donators); InteriorDesignAssocia- tions (Designer Society of America; Association of Design Education;Deco- rating Den, Inc.); the Office Furniture DealersAssoc.; and the Real Estate Stag- ingAssociation. of the most basic free- doms afforded to U.S. cit- izens—the right to earn an honest liv- ing.This is an outrageous assault on eco- nomic liberty and their efforts to cartelize the interior design industry must be stopped. Who is Involved on Our Side and Theirs? The push for regulation has come about exclusively through the efforts of industry insiders,not as a result of public demand or legislative determinations that such regulation is necessary for the public good. Their side (aka "the Car- tel") consists of ASID; the National Council for Interior Design Qualifica- tions (founded by ASID in 1974); the Council for Interior Design Accredita- tion (founded byASID in 1970); and the International Interior DesignAssoc. 8 FEDA News & Views Since 2006, IDPC has successfully defeated more than 130 bills in 21 states that would have expanded or enacted new protectionist, anti- competitive interior design regulations. Success so Far Prior to IDPC coming into the arena and estab- lishing grassroots opposi- tion, 23 states were suc- cessful interior design regula- tions. But that has all changed. Since 2006, IDPC has successfully defeated more than 130 bills in 21 states that would have expanded or enacted new protection- ist, anti-competitive interior design reg- ulations and would have put interior designers and industry allies out of work. IssuesAhead The Cartel has reframed its push from "protect the health, safety and welfare of the public"practice acts (which IDPC has totally decimated) to a "right-to- work" hybrid platform in which it now claims occupational freedom as its mantra. It's a deception, of course, but a smart move on their part. These bills are very hard to fight right out of the gate. They've unscrupulous- ly usurped the down economy from being our main argument to now being theirs. Because of pressure to fix the continued on page 34 in establishing