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LEGISLATION UPDATE

The New Hampshire Interior Design Coalition (NHIDC), in spite of its recent unsuccessful attempt to pass its anti-competitive interior design title and practice act earlier this year is preparing to make another attempt to regulate interior design in NH. In spite of their previous unanimous vote to wait until January 2008 to propose a new bill, NHIDC is allegedly rushing to re-write a new bill to meet the September 2007 deadline, since it is not budget time, and they believe the ED&A Committee - whom President Maria Perron rebuked in her email of 3/19/07 as "not functioning at full capacity" and "moving too quickly to digest the enormous amounts of information" - will have more time to review their bill. She also stated in that same writing, "as citizens, we had expected more from our democratic process."

Totally ignoring the Committee's statement that they will not legislate a "turf war," NHIDC is pressing ahead with an agenda that does not have the support of the design community or comsumers. To continue to push for regulation without a mandate from the design community shows a lack of respect for our elected officials.

Indeed, even their own membership does not support new legislation, as is evidenced by the fact that when President Maria Perron called for a vote this spring on whether or not to continue seeking regulation, per her memo of 5/11/07 only 10 of their 54 members (less than 20%) voted in favor of pursuing some type of licensing/certification. The rest of the membership either voted to stop the pursuit, or did not bother to respond to NHIDC's multiple requests for votes.

Throughout the summer, Maria Perron has continued to lobby the Executive Departments and Administration Committee for their support for their new bill. Even though the documentation sent to the Committee was fraught with errors, confusing attachments, and misinformation, out of respect for their well-deserved summer hiatus, Live Free and Design! has refrained from contacting the Committee. We will now begin the process of advising the legislature of the corrections in their creative math, as well as provide facts to counter the rhetoric and errors.

At the appropriate time, we will once again ask you to contact the Committee and your legislators to let them know that you DO NOT support legislation.

YOU made the difference in the outcome of the last hearing!

The Institute for Justice, Arlington, VA , will host a national conference, "Pulling the Curtains on the Interior Design Cartel" to plan strategy and train grassroots activists to resist the cartelization efforts led by ASID within the interior design community. Live Free and Design! NH), Arizona Interior Design Alert, the Interior Design Freedom Coalition (MA), Alabama Decorators, Artists and Designers, are just a few of the grassroots organizations who have already experienced a phenomenal amount of success in opposing regulation as well as the overwhelming support of interior designers, architects, builders, decorators, suppliers and others involved in the interior design industry, will be participating in this effort. Other states targeted to participate include, but not limited to, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and California. Representatives from NKBA and IDS will also be attending the conference.

Patti Morrow from Live Free and Design!, interior designer and author of "Getting Grassroots Galvanized" will be giving a presentation on her documented practical guide to help interior design grassroots leaders solicit a base of support to become a powerful factor in each state fighting anti-competitive legislation.

This conference marks the first attempt to combine the efforts of each state into a cohesive national force to fight the 30-year effort by the pro-regulation faction which has sought to restrict the occupational freedom and violate the constitutional rights of those in the interior design profession, the effects of which would result in increased cost to the consumer.

Admission to the conference is by invitation only, and will be held Sept. 7-8 in the Washington, D. C. area.

In her Bulletin to the NH Legislators (5/25/07), Maria Perron, President of NHIDC, states that "interior design legislation seeks to define the profession first and foremost."

In another writing (6/15/07), Ms. Perron further states that the interior design profession is "one of those that are so exciting, akin to actors and actresses."

Those of us in the design community who take our profession seriously do not define our profession that way. Do you agree with Maria? If not, please write to NHIDC at designers@nhidc.org and let them know that statements like these HURT our profession!

2008: Group trip to Neocon. Please contact contact us if you are interested.

Fall, 2007: Meeting of Live Free and Design! to review new NHIDC proposed legislation and opposition strategy.

September 21, 2007: HBRANH seminar on Home Modifications, 8:30-5:00. Learn to redesign living areas for safety & comfort. $225 for members $275 for non-members. www.hbranh.com/index/calendar

September 18, 2007: HBRANH seminar "Cottages, Bungalows and Other Small Homes" 8:20 - 3:15, registration $50 www.hbranh.com/index/calendar

September 7 - 8, 2007: "Pulling the Curtains on the Interior Design Cartel" conference hosted by the Institute for Justice in the Washington, D.C. area. By invitation only.

August 23 - 25, 2007: the Construction Specifications Institute, Regional Conference "Zero Energy Buildings -- Wishful thinking or real possibility" http://www.neregioncsi.org/Conference.aspx

August 1, 2007: Meeting in New Jersey with NKBA to discuss new strategies to defeat legislation in Michigan and Pennsylvania.

July 10, 2007: Hearing on SB-178 in State House in Boston, Massachusetts.

June 22, 2007: Meeting with representative of Alabama Decorators, Artists and Designers to discuss collaboration and status of court unconstitutional ruling.

ASID’s Summer ’07 Legislative Outlook newsletter's main focus was in highlighting “new organizations that now pose a formidable threat to the successful passage of interior design legislation.” Much of the information was taken verbatim from the Live Free and Design! website, including links to our website and websites of other grassroots groups who have taken a stand against regulation in other states, as well as George Will's excellent editorial, and specifically referred to the role of the Institute for Justice. They also include AIA and NKBA as those opposed to their agenda of regulating the interior design profession. (Note: there are now two more national groups that are anticipating taking a more active stand against regulation.)

This is a very big development for the good guys! Never, in the 30 years that ASID has been pushing regulation, has there been such a strong, energetic, highly-motivated effort to network all 50 states, to share resources and expertise, to resist and repeal anti-competitive legislation in our country. ASID is gravely concerned, and they should be – we will be there to block ASID-backed legislation, again and again and again. Maria Perron, President of NHIDC has stated, “There’s more opposition out there than we even imagined. How to combat it all is a mystery.”

Obviously, we’re doing something right, to have garnered this much attention. Keep the pressure on!