91视频

Efforts to create a state-approved licensing program for interior designers have stalled while advocates revamp proposed legislation in hopes that it will be more palatable to Oregon lawmakers.

A bill proposed last year, Senate Bill 1521, was backed by Interior Design Collaborative-Oregon and would have required interior designers to obtain a license to work on commercial spaces. It gained some traction, but failed to advance out of committee.

IDC-Oregon, which seeks to establish licensure for commercial interior design professionals in the state, hired a lobbyist this past fall. Now, members are working to tweak the 2014 bill.

鈥淲e’re just sitting here treading water,鈥� said Ellen Cusick, IDC’s legislative chairwoman. 鈥淥ur ideal option would be to go with the bill we submitted last year, but we haven’t had a lot of legislative support.鈥�

Group members had planned to reintroduce a revised bill during the 2015 regular session, but may hold off, Cusick said. The board will decide next month whether to move forward this spring with a new bill. Because the proposal is still being drafted, it’s unclear what it might look like, she said.

鈥淵ou might see something, but we don’t know what it’s going to be,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’re definitely not submitting something in the next three weeks.鈥�

Last year’s bill proposed establishing a board of industry professionals to issue licenses to interior designers who have achieved certain standards for education and experience and passed an examination administered by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification. These licensed professionals would then be recognized by the state as qualified to stamp construction drawings for commercial interiors projects.

A revised version of the bill may instead propose creating a voluntary registry, administered by the Oregon Business Development Department, of interior designers who have met minimum education and experience requirements, Cusick said.

Along with a lukewarm response from the Oregon Legislature, the IDC licensure proposal has faced opposition from other design professional groups. The American Institute of Architects’ official position on the issue is that only licensed architects and engineers possess the necessary education to stamp drawings.

One criticism that IDC received from legislators was the lack of efforts to connect with the opposition to interior designer licensing and write a compromise into any future proposal, Cusick said. But opposition members have expressed little interested in conferring with the group, she said.

鈥淲e’ve had trouble meeting with the opposition,鈥� she said.