Coalition for Interior Design Registration

                   REPRESENTING MICHIGAN'S INTERIOR DESIGN COMMUNITY

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CIDR currently has a three-bill package in the legislative process that would license qualified interior designers in Michigan.  HB4770, HB4771, and HB4772 are sponsored by Republican State Representative Bill Huizenga and Democrat State Representative Andy Meisner.

Why is legislation needed for interior designers?

REGISTERED DESIGN PROFESSIONAL - an individual who is registered or licensed to practice their respective design profession as defined by the statutory requirements of the professional registration laws of the state or jurisdiction in which the project is to be constructed.

What is the purpose of this legislation?

Will this legislation have a grandfather period?

Yes.  If an individual has not successfully completed all sections of the National Qualification for Interior Design examination and is not NCIDQ certified, she/he has one year from the effect of this legislation to document interior design credentials to be considered eligible for grandfathering. 

An individual  who is not NCIDQ certified shall be considered for licensure by submitting by affidavit proof of six years of combined education and experience in providing interior design services, with at least two of those six years being practical experience.

How does this legislation effect the State List?

The State List of Qualified Interior Designers was established in 1998 through Public Act 250.  The intent of this law was seriously compromised through unforeseen complications.  The List will be replaced by the State Board of Interior Design.  However, if you are currently on the State List, you may apply for licensure without further documentation of your interior design credentials.  If you are unsure as to whether you are listed, click the link below to check.

http://www.michigan.gov/cis/0,1607,7-154-10557_12992_13067-41194--,00.html

Currently in the U.S. 26 states and jurisdictions as well as 8 Canadian provinces have laws have some form of interior design registration law that grants qualified individuals who have met the requirements of education, experience and examination the ability to be recognized by the state as professionals. 

What is the legislative analysis of these proposed bills?

Who are the primary sponsors of the interior design bills?

State Representative Bill Huizenga sponsored HB4770 that will amend Michigan construction code.

                                 State Representative Bill Huizenga

State Representative Bill Huizenga was elected to the Michigan House in November to represent the 90th District, which includes the cities of Holland, Zeeland, Hudsonville and the townships of Holland, Zeeland, Jamestown and Blendon. In his first term, Rep. Huizenga was only one of two freshmen to be elected by his colleagues to a leadership position as assistant majority floor leader, a position he held for two years. In his second term, the Speaker of the House appointed Rep. Huizenga as Chairman of the powerful House Commerce Committee, a committee which deals with a number of economic and business issues. He was also re-appointed to the House Energy and Technology Committee and serves on the House Banking and Financial Services and Tort Reform Committees. Representative Huizenga also services as co-chairman of the Joint Select Committee on Oversight of the 21st Century Job Funds.

Rep. Huizenga earned a B.A. in political science from Calvin College in 1992. He is a 1987 graduate of Holland Christian High School.
 
Rep. Huizenga was director of public policy for U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Holland, for six years. He is co-owner of Huizenga Gravel Co. in Jenison. He has been actively involved in real estate development and is a former licensed Realtor. During 1995-96, he served on the Holland Board of Realtors’ board of directors.

In addition to working for U.S. Rep. Hoekstra, Rep. Huizenga served as his campaign director from 1997 until 2003, and served as an alternate delegate at the Republican National Convention in 2000 and 2004. In 2003, Huizenga was appointed Co-Finance Chairman of the House Republican Campaign Committee, the political arm of the State House Republican Caucus. Also in 2003, Rep. Huizenga was the recipient of the Michigan Manufacturers Association Advocate of the Year (2004) award. Rep. Huizenga has served in numerous organizations, including Right to Life of Michigan, the Michigan Rural Health Association and Compass Arts Film Academy. The West Michigan chapter of the Alzheimers Association presented him with its “Advocate of the Year” award in 2000, and he served on the board of directors for the VanderBilt Public School Academy from 1998 to 2001.

Rep. Huizenga was born Jan. 31, 1969 in Ottawa County. He and his wife, Natalie, have five children and reside in Zeeland. They belong to Haven Christian Reformed Church. Huizenga enjoys time with family, hunting, traveling and reading. He frequently speaks to students, service clubs and church groups. He recently completed his first marathon as part of a fund raiser to benefit research for ataxia-telangiectasia to help a local family in Hudsonville.

State Representative Andy Meisner sponsored HB4772 that will amend Michigan occupational code and HB43771 that provides for the licensing fees.

                                                                                                                                                                                                       State Representative Andy Meisner

State Representative Andy Meisner was born and raised in the district he currently represents, which includes the South Oakland County communities of Huntington Woods, Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, Oak Park, Berkley and Hazel Park.

 As a college student, Andy was a Lyndon B. Johnson Fellow in the Washington office of Congressman Sandy Levin.  After graduating, Andy returned to Capitol Hill to work for United States Congressman David Obey (D-WI) and returned to Congressman Levin (D-MI) as a policy analyst working in the areas of criminal justice, mental health, unemployment insurance and foreign affairs.  Andy’s work with Congressman Levin led him to his next role as vice president of the national, non-profit Drug-Free Kids Campaign, or CADCA.   

While in Washington, Andy was a co-founder of the Michigan Democratic Action Network (MDAN), an organization created to engage young adults in the political process across the full spectrum of possibilities, from meeting like-minded Michiganders to helping others run for office through grass roots campaigning and financial support.

 Returning to Michigan in 2001, Andy went to work in the private sector as corporate communications director for the Farbman Group, a Southfield-based real estate firm.

 First elected to the Michigan Legislature in 2002, Andy has quickly become a force in Lansing, having served in leadership positions and currently serving as Chair of the House Commerce Committee.  He also serves on the Judiciary, Tax Policy, Education and New Economy and Quality of Life Committees. Propelled by his experience in the public, non-profit and private sectors, Andy is an aggressive and passionate advocate whose work has twice been profiled on CNN’s Lou Dobbs program.

 Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, who appointed Andy to serve on the Michigan Mental Health Commission, has tapped Andy as a key House sponsor of both her plan to cut the Single Business Tax and her $2 billion bond proposal.  He has recently received Legislator of the Year awards from the League of Conservation Voters and the Michigan Association of Drug Court Professionals.  Andy received the 2005 Rising Star Award of the D.C.-based 21^st Century Democrats, one of the largest PACs in the country.  He also received the 2006 Snyder-Kok Award for his work on behalf of the mentally ill form the Mental Health Association in Michigan. As Commerce Chair, Andy is currently profiling the role entrepreneurship plays in growing Michigan's economy.  He is also leading the charge to ease legislative restrictions on embryonic stem cell research that are standing in the way of Michigan’s progress in this essential area of research.

 Andy lives in Ferndale with his wife, Johnna, and “her” cat, Luna.