Press Room

Regulation would help remove barriers to employment opportunities in majority-women field 

(BOSTON–6/06/2024) Today the Massachusetts Senate passed An act relative to advancing the profession of commercial interior design. Under this legislation, commercial interior designers would have the opportunity to become registered professionals in the state of Massachusetts. As the law currently stands, with certain state and federal projects requiring licensure, Massachusetts designers often have to contract with larger firms or individuals with architectural licenses in order to be eligible for these projects. This often results in lost revenue for interior designers in this majority-women field.

Creating a licensed profession statewide would enable registered interior designers to bid individually on certain projects currently off-limits, growing small businesses that are often women-led, and incentivizing graduates in the field to stay in Massachusetts to build their careers and not have to go out-of-state to be able to bid on work.

“Massachusetts is known as a place where people come seeking opportunity, and this bill addresses two of the Senate’s main priorities—equity and competitiveness in our state,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “We need to help dismantle the glass ceiling many of these professionals face when seeking opportunities, and they shouldn’t have to leave our Commonwealth in order to advance their careers. I’m grateful to Senator Lovely for taking the lead on this legislation and to Chair Rodrigues for his continuous support.”

“With the rapid increase in business construction and commercial interior design, this commonsense bill strengthens the existing laws regarding commercial interior design by establishing a Board of Registration to ensure that best practices in this industry are adhered to. It also establishes and defines the professional requirement to be a registered commercial interior designer. I thank Senator Lovely and O’Connor for sponsoring this bill which incurs no cost to the taxpayers of the Commonwealth,” said Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. 

“This bill will create a Board of Registration to license and develop professional standards to allow highly educated commercial interior design professionals to operate independently of architects. The lack of professional recognition and restrictions have limited career pathways for many qualified designers in an industry that historically is dominated by women,” said Senator Joan Lovely (D-Salem) the primary sponsor of the bill. “Twenty-nine other states have recognized Commercial Interior Designers by passing registration laws, and today I am proud that the Senate is adding Massachusetts to that list. I look forward to working with the House to get this bill to the Governor’s desk this session.”

This legislation also has strong support from the International Interior Design Association New England Chapter (IIDA NE) which has been at the forefront of advocacy efforts related to this issue.

“I, along with the members of IIDA New England Chapter would like to thank Senate President Karen Spilka and Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues for supporting and advancing this important legislation.  We also want to thank Senator Joan Lovely for sponsoring this legislation in the Senate and for her steadfast commitment and support to seeing it pass,” said Krista Easterly, NCIDQ, Vice President of Advocacy IIDA New England. “This bill will provide qualified commercial interior designers with the opportunity to become licensed professionals in the Commonwealth and allow them to sign and seal drawings; a vital requirement for gaining access to project opportunities and business ownership. As an industry predominantly comprised of women and small and minority owned businesses, being recognized as licensed professionals will shatter the glass ceiling and afford new opportunities for them to expand their portfolios and encourage recent graduates of interior design programs in Massachusetts to establish their careers here.”

Licensure would allow interior designers to:

• Obtain building permits independent of a licensed architect;
• Prepare plans and specifications; and
• Supervise new construction, alterations, repair of a building’s interior space within newly constructed or existing buildings when core and shell structural elements are not being changed.

This bill removes the existing structure that requires partners in design-build firms, who are often women, to sell part of their ownership to ensure the firm meets the requirement of being majority-owned by registered professionals to allow bidding on certain state and federal projects. It also expands the Designer Selection Board to include three certified interior designers and creates a board to oversee the registration of interior designers who are qualified and want to practice commercial interior design.

Having been passed by the Senate, the legislation now heads to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for consideration.

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