(April 6, 2023 – Santa Fe, NM) – The New Mexico interior design community celebrates the passage of House Bill 384 in New Mexico, which protects the title and legal recognition of licensed interior designers in the state. With unanimity from both chambers of the New Mexico legislature, the bill was officially signed into law today by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. This victory follows success in other states to resist efforts that threaten the legal standing of commercial interior design.

“We continue to maintain and strengthen the rights of interior design practitioners across the nation with our tireless work to overcome efforts to limit our scope and undermine the interior design profession,” said Lauren Earley, Associate Director of Government and Public Affairs, ASID. “We applaud the work of local and national advocates from ASID and IIDA mobilizing against recent deregulatory efforts in New Mexico, and we intend to lead the fight against bills that may arise in other states.”

The Southwest Chapter of the International Interior Design Association worked with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) on the introduction of HB 384. This legislation counteracted a bill that would have dissolved the New Mexico Interior Design Board and removed the protected title of “Licensed Interior Designers” for those licensed professionals in New Mexico.

As part of HB 384, the previously existing Interior Design Board has been absorbed into an administrative function of the Regulation and Licensing Department, which will maintain the protected title for interior designers and regulatory oversight of the profession. The work done to combat this bill protects not only the interior design profession, but also the impact the built environment has on public health and safety.

Continued Earley: “The passage of House Bill 384 in New Mexico, along with our advocacy in Virginia and Wisconsin to protect the profession, demonstrates the importance of the arduous work necessary to combat attempted deregulation of interior designers.”

As other deregulatory efforts arose in states including Virginia and Wisconsin within the last year, local practitioners and advocates have worked with ASID and IIDA to defend the profession and maintain reasonable regulation of qualified practitioners.

To access the full House Bill 384 and for more information, click here.