American Society of Interior Designers Hosts Day of Advocacy on Capitol Hill

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) understands the importance of being at the forefront of national policy discussions, current events, and emerging issues. ASID’s head of advocacy is a registered federal lobbyist that advocates for the profession before Congress, the Administration, and other federal entities, focusing on a variety of issues including procurement, workforce development, resilience and disaster mitigation, copyright, trade issues, and fair housing.

On September 24, 2024, ASID advocates gathered on Capitol Hill to champion some of these key issues, including practice rights, environmental policy, and accessible housing. Meeting with six members of Congress from both political parties, including Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, ASID representatives sought support for ongoing legislative initiatives.

The Capitol Day attendees were demonstrative of ASID’s membership, including interior design professionals from a variety of practice areas, an interior design student, a few educators, and a handful of small-business owners, as well as the ASID CEO and national board chair, all of whom convened in the nation’s capital for a fun and meaningful day of meetings meant to educate decision-makers and advance the interior design profession through federal policies.

The day involved a two-way exchange on how designers and lawmakers can work together to protect building occupants, advance sustainability initiatives, and make interior spaces more accessible for all—including improvements to indoor air quality, hazard-resistant building codes, and workforce development for qualified professionals. This event displayed ASID’s commitment to representing interior designers at the federal level and building a brighter future for the profession.

ASID also champions interior designers’ interests at the federal level by engaging with a variety of coalitions, including those founded by industry organizations and stakeholders of the built environment like the International Code Council, the ADA Network, the National Fire Protection Agency, the International WELL Building Institute, the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and American Society of Association Executives.

On the state level, ASID helps oversee legislative and regulatory work; provides assistance, resources, and materials to chapter advocates; and crafts strategy that is tailored to the individual state’s needs, political climates, and workforce development focuses.

ASID is engaged with nearly two dozen active advocacy efforts and helps support over a dozen active legislative efforts, in part together with the Consortium for Interior Design, a collaborative advocacy effort among ASID, the Council for Interior Design Qualification, and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA)—all while monitoring public policy in all U.S. jurisdictions, and coordinating with ASID chapters accordingly.

There has been historic momentum for interior design legislation and regulation in the last several years, bringing the U.S. jurisdictions regulating interior design to 31 total (29 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C.).

In 2024 alone, Nebraska passed a voluntary registry for qualified interior designers to be able to obtain a protected title and stamp and seal nonstructural, nonseismic interior construction documents to obtain building permits. Oklahoma also expanded its existing legislation to simplify the protected title for qualified professionals; most recently, Pennsylvania amended the existing governing statute for architects to add a protected title for qualified interior designers. The Interior Design Legislative Coalition of Pennsylvania, together with the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA-PA), co-championed this legislation, lobbying members of state legislature and eventually Governor Shapiro, who signed the bill into law on October 31, 2024.

These bills built upon momentum of years prior, with Iowa expanding existing legislation in 2023 to include titleholders’ ability to practice independently, Illinois and Wisconsin doing the same in 2022, and North Carolina in 2021 establishing a protected title and independent practice rights for titleholders.

ASID also seeks to protect interior designers from harmful tax policies. In 2024, ASID teamed up with the National Kitchen and Bath Association and IIDA, namely against a proposal in North Carolina that sought to remove the tax exemption for interior designers; a sweeping tax proposal in Nebraska intending to offset property taxes with increased income taxes on a variety of professions, including interior design and decorating services; and most recently, in Louisiana, where a proposal is being considered for a new sales/use tax on a variety of activities, including interior design and decorating services, and a variety of construction-related acts.

Locally, ASID engages with building code officials and departments nationwide, coordinating with the International Code Council, to advance modernized building codes, oppose outdated building codes, and educate building code officials/departments on said codes as the interpreters.

ASID continues to advocate for interior designers and the profession at all levels of government. From municipalities that interpret whether interior designers are qualified to obtain building permits to states that strengthen policies that protect small, women-owned businesses to the federal laws and regulations that govern our interior world, ASID supports policies that improve the legal, business, or cultural landscape of the profession, defending against policies that threaten those interests.