11.15.23
The Governor Signs IIDA Supported Legislation into Law
Earlier this month the 2023 California legislative session was concluded by the Governor signing into law 890 new laws and vetoing 156. Each year IIDA’s California Chapters work together to evaluate, advocate, and report on legislation pertaining to the commercial interior design profession, including collaborating with other design professionals. This year, we jointly supported six pieces of legislation, which you can read more about here. Four of the six pieces of legislation we supported, SB 816, AB 342, AB 529, and SB 306, made it to the Governor’s desk and were signed into law.
Of particular interest to us this year was Senate Bill (SB) 816, introduced by Senator Roth back in February that was signed into law by the Governor on October 12. As we reported in an earlier blog post, SB 816, aligns statute to current practice and recognizes for the first time in California state law a Commercial Designation for Certified Interior Designers. The Commercial Designation has been issued by CCIDC since 2017 but was not previously recognized in statute. IIDA supported the recognition of the commercial interior design specialty and offered minor clarifying amendments to ensure SB 816’s statutory updates were consistent with CCIDC’s current certification structure.
So, what happens now?
Legislation signed by the Governor or ‘chaptered’ in the current year takes effect on January 1, 2024. Given that SB 816 codifies a process already in place, certified interior designers who have, or are planning to obtain, the commercial designation stamp from the CCIDC will not experience any changes to the stamp or the issuance thereof.
Both of California’s IIDA chapters jointly agree that the recognition of the commercial designation in law is a positive step forward in our advocacy to bring a voluntary title act with permitting privileges to commercial interior designers in California. There is more to be done, and we look forward to continuing advocacy for our profession in the upcoming year.
For more information regarding IIDA’s Advocacy efforts, visit each chapter’s Advocacy resources:
Northern California Advocacy
Southern California Advocacy
American Institute of Architects: California Chapter
