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Bill would reinstate and expand repealed state occupation requirements
Shutterstock | Banijan
A bill introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives last month would require interior designers to be licensed to work. House Bill 5960, filed by Rep. Carol Granville, D-Walker, would also impose continuing education requirements on designers.
Interior designers had until 2014 to register with the state, and that requirement included passing a certification exam overseen by the Interior Design Certification Council. The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulation maintained the registry under Section 601a of the Occupations Code. State and local government agencies were authorized to review the list.
In 2013, then-Rep. Andrea LaFontaine, R-Richmond, sponsored a bill that would eliminate the registration requirement. The bill passed with overwhelming support in both chambers of Congress and was subsequently signed into law by then-Gov. Rick Snyder.
Granville’s bill, introduced on September 26, would impose a greater burden than simply reinstating registration requirements. HB 5960 requires interior design boards to provide oversight and ensure compliance with licensing rules. It also calls for a system that would require practitioners to earn continuing education credits. This bill is tied to two other bills, HB 5961 and HB 5962.
Granville did not respond to a request for comment. The bill was referred to the Regulatory Reform Committee. If passed and signed by both chambers of Congress, the law would go into effect on January 1, 2026, and would require those working as interior designers to provide documentation within four years that they have complied with all requirements. Licensed individuals must complete at least 12 hours of continuing education credits per year to obtain license renewal.
Some lawmakers attempted to license and regulate the interior design industry through Senate Bills 974-976 in 2009. Jack McHugh, then an analyst at the Mackinac Center, wrote that the bill “would impose licensing and regulation on interior designers and pay annual license fees.” Prerequisites of at least six years of education and/or professional experience, including testing requirements against standards established by a panel of practicing designers. ”
McHugh said the bills are anticompetitive and an example of rent-seeking, an activity in which established business interests use government power to prevent new entrants from entering an industry.
The bill, which never left the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee, would have created a registry and required interior designers to submit information to the Department of Licensing and Regulation until 2014.
Michigan State Capitol Confidential reported on the Occupational Licensing Reform Conference in 2023. Participants who opposed strict regulation said licensing laws create barriers to entry, resulting in increased costs for consumers and a shortage of employees in the industry.
The American Society of Interior Designers did not respond to a request for comment. Its website states:
“ASID’s legislative policy supports legislation that provides a path for interior designers to obtain certification, registration, or licensing without restricting, restricting, or hindering the practice of interior design.”
The Grand Rapids-based Interior Design Certification Council did not respond to an email seeking comment.
