SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico has joined a handful of states in passing legislation to protect the title and legal recognition of licensed interior designers in the state.

Signed into law April 5 by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, the legislation counteracted a bill that would have sunsetted and ultimately, dissolved the New Mexico Interior Design Board and removed the protected title of “Licensed Interior Designers” for those licensed professionals in New Mexico.

The Southwest Chapter of the International Interior Design Association worked with the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) on HB 384. With its passage, 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 (HB 384, Section 61-24C).

A statement by the IIDA noted the bill protects not only the interior design profession, but also the impact the built environment has on public health and safety. “The passage of House Bill 384 in New Mexico, along with our advocacy in Virginia and Wisconsin to protect the profession, demonstrates the willingness of legislators to support the critical role that commercial interior design plays in the health, safety, and well-being of the public,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO, Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA.

Similar legislation was enacted in Illinois (HB 4715) and Wisconsin (SB 344) in 2022. Since 2021, ASID, IIDA and the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) have also helped secure legislative victories in North Carolina (SB 188) and Oklahoma (HB 1147) and improved professional recognition in states including Utah (HB 49) and Virginia (Final Report to the General Assembly: Evaluation of the Need for Continued Regulation of Certain Professions and Occupations as Recommended by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, published 12-20).