No Harm from Unregulated Interior Designers in Texas Says Marilyn Roberts

The Texas Association for Interior Design (TAID) wants to make it illegal to practice interior design in Texas without a government license.

Over the past 20 years they have spent tens, maybe hundreds, of thousands of dollars on lobbyists, claiming that unregistered interior designers present a danger to the public health and safety.

On June 6, 2007, Marilyn Roberts, president of TAID, e-mailed the group's membership the following request for information:

"We must get cases of harm in Texas!!!!!!!

Any jobs you have had that you have corrected something potentially or proven harmful to your clients (harmful physically or emotionally). Any contacts you have with building plan reviewers, Registered Accessibility Specialists inspectors, fire marshalls, inspectors of any kind that would have found violations that hopefully a registered interior designer corrected. Would help to have cases from residential, commercial-large or small projects, medical facilities, nursing homes, etc. Remember, not just fire code related issues, but using materials that are not antimicrobial where needed, not having areas accessible, anything..........."

Two years later, KXAN TV-Austin asked Ms. Roberts to name one example of an unregistered interior designer harming a member of the public.

Her answer to this important question?

"Actually, there are not things that I can document right now."

Regulating interior design has nothing to do with protecting the public and everything to do with protecting a small cartel from fair competition. Its about cutting out fair competition. It would destroy jobs and raise prices. Thats wrong for Texas.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Texas
• Interior
• Design

[whoo689]

Where does the gov't get this silly idea that only they can decide what are the necessary standards for being "qualified" to do something like interior design? What arrogance! What hubris!

For example, it's like this nonsense with only being able to practice law if you pass the one and only bar exam. I mean, I don't plan on being a lawyer, but there should be MORE THAN ONE way to be able to practice law in this country. It should be an open marketplace, not so restrictive.

[Chainedorlo]

What clowns these regulation proponents are.

[JCMW1989]

I have seen what some so called accredited designers have done. It scares me if these people would be all we had to choose from.

[gamookie]

All she needs to do is get someone with good taste to go into a house and complain about how it hurts their eyes.