Opposition to s.339, Interior Design Licensure
If YOU want to design YOUR home, I’m not interested in telling YOU who YOU can hire (with YOUR money) for assistance. This is not a core function of government. Below is a letter we’ve received from the National Kitchen & Bath Association.
Dear Senator Bryant: Please accept the attached letter on behalf of the National Kitchen & Bath Association and its more than 830 members in the State of South Carolina voicing our strong opposition to unnecessary licensing of the interior design profession.
This bill is being advanced by a small group of interior designers who seek to fence out the competition and benefit themselves economically by virtue of the passage of a licensing bill which the vast majority of interior designers will not qualify for. There is absolutely no need for the State to add to the regulatory burdens on small businesses by establishing new occupational licensing laws on a profession that has worked for decades without public concern or harm, and where the public is already protected by virtue of the State’s building and permitting codes, rules and regulations.
Passage of this Bill will negatively impact thousands of designers, contractors, retail showrooms and trades, make it more difficult for independent designers, the majority of whom are woman, to work and remain in business, and disproportionately impact minorities and second career switchers who will find themselves shut out from entering the design field.
Thank you for your consideration of our position, and of course, if we can provide you with any additional information or testimony, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Respectfully, Edward Nagorsky
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