Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/21/2023 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB89 | |
| SB123 | |
| SB73 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 89 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 123 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 73 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 73-REGISTER INTERIOR DESIGNERS
2:28:08 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN reconvened the meeting and announced the
consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 73 "An Act relating to
registered interior designers and interior design; establishing
requirements for the practice of registered interior design;
renaming the State Board of Registration for Architects,
Engineers, and Land Surveyors the State Board of Registration
for Design Professionals; relating to the State Board of
Registration for Design Professionals; relating to liens for
labor or materials furnished; relating to the procurement of
interior design services; and providing for an effective date."
He stated that this is the second hearing of this bill and
Breanna Kakaruk will present a recap of the bill.
2:28:42 PM
BREANNA KAKARUK, Staff, Senator Matt Claman, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, stated that the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for SB 73, version U, incorporates the changes
the American Society of Interior Designers and the American
Institute of Architects Working Group requested following
collaborative meetings.
2:29:41 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN requested a motion to adopt the CS for SB 73 as
the working document.
2:29:50 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON moved to adopt the committee substitute
(CS) for SB 73, work order 33-LS0244\U, as the working document.
CHAIR BJORKMAN objected for purposes of discussion. He asked Ms.
Kakaruk to continue with the summary of changes.
2:30:08 PM
MS. KAKARUK presented the following summary of changes from
version S to version U for SB 73.
Senate Bill 73
Summary of Changes
Version S to Version U
The legislation was amended to include changes
requested by the American Society of Interior
Designers and the American Institute of Architects
Working Group. The Working Group was formed for
collaborative work between interior designers and
architects on Senate Bill 73. During the last Working
Group meeting, the architects and interior designers
came to a consensus agreement on amendments for Senate
Bill 73. Version U of Senate Bill 73 incorporates
these as agreed upon by the Working Group.
All language related to changing the name from the
"State Board of Registration for Architects,
Engineers, and Land Surveyors" (AELS) to the "State
Board of Registration for Design Professionals" were
removed. Senate Bill 73 will no longer change the name
of the board.
Transitional language was added to include a voting
board member seat for an interior designer on the AELS
Board for the period before the legislation's
registration requirement is implemented. The interior
designer board member must be an Alaska resident for
at least 3 years immediately preceding their
appointment, and they must be certified by the
National Council for Interior Design Qualification
(NCIDQ).
The word "registered" was included before "interior
design" and "interior designer" for specificity
throughout the bill, with a few exceptions.
Restrictions that limited the scope of practice of
interior designers were removed for services that do
not change or affect the structural system or the
safety of the building, or that do not affect public
health, safety, or welfare.
New definitions of the practice of registered interior
design were aligned to existing definitions of other
professional design disciplines.
2:31:46 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN maintained his objection to give members time to
review the committee substitute.
2:32:13 PM
At ease.
2:33:30 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN reconvened the meeting and opened public
testimony on SB 73.
2:34:04 PM
JESSICA CEDERBERG, President-elect, American Institute of
Architects (AIA) Alaska Chapter, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in
opposition to SB 73. She stated that the 200 members of AIA
Alaska Chapter are joined by AIA National in opposing SB 73 and
its companion bill, HB 159. AIA needs more time to review the
CS.
2:35:41 PM
ELIZABETH JOHNSTON, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, gave
testimony on SB 73. She is a member of the AIA board but is
speaking for herself on this bill. She spoke specifically about
the change to AS 08.48.011(b) that adds one interior designer to
the board, but no longer separates the electrical and mechanical
engineering board seats. She expressed her concern that this
would result in an underrepresentation of both mechanical and
electrical engineers.
2:37:36 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR asked if she said that the board member seats
would be reduced by one or two.
MS. JOHNSTON replied that the existing statute, AS 08.48.011(b),
describes an 11-member board that includes one electrical or
mechanical engineer, but it does not have a registered interior
designer. SB 73, version S, initially proposed increasing the
board from 11 to 13 members to include one electrical engineer,
one mechanical engineer, and one registered interior designer.
The board, under the proposed CS version U, would be composed of
12 members, including one electrical or mechanical engineer, and
one interior designer.
SENATOR DUNBAR thanked her for the explanation.
2:39:08 PM
DANA NUNN, representing the American Society of Interior
Designers, Anchorage, Alaska, testified in support of SB 73, as
amended. She spoke to the legislative process, stating this bill
has not been rushed. It began in 2017 and there have been two
bills before this with ample opportunity for collaboration. It
is only recently that the Society has been able to get a
foothold in the collaboration. She expressed excitement about
the legislative advancements.
2:41:22 PM
MATT BARUSCH, Director, Government Affairs, Council for Interior
Design Qualification (CIDQ), Washington, D.C., testified in
support of SB 73. He said that CIDQ administers the three-part
NCIDQ examination which would be the prerequisite exam for
registered interior designers in the state of Alaska. The
council supports this bill because of the legal recognition of
interior designers and design professionals.
2:42:11 PM
CATHERINE FRITZ, Chair, Alaska Board of Registration for
Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors (AELS), gave testimony
on SB 73, requesting more time to deliberate on the proposed CS.
She said the board just received the CS and has not had time to
review it. She did a personal scan of the committee substitute
and of the six issues of concern that AELS brought up to the
legislature, and all still exist. She said if granted more time
to allow for public notice as per the Open Meetings Act, she can
schedule a special board meeting to discuss the issues.
2:44:05 PM
RAMONA SCHIMSCHEIMER, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, gave
testimony on SB 73 as a working architect. She requested that
the committee postpone approving the bill with the new
amendment, as the AIA Working Group has not had enough time to
go through the entire document and discuss each item.
2:45:16 PM
PAUL BARIL, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, requested time
to review the committee substitute for SB 73. He said he is the
principal architect and owner at Nvision Architecture and an AIA
Working Group member who has been collaborating with the
interior designer's group. He expressed the need for more time
to collaborate with the AIA Working Group and discuss necessary
amendments.
2:46:30 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR asked how much time is needed to review the
committee substitute.
MR. BARIL replied one to two weeks is needed.
2:47:55 PM
RYAN MORSE, representing the AIA Alaska component of the Working
Group, Fairbanks, Alaska, testified in opposition to SB 73 as it
is currently written. He qualified his testimony by stating that
he was the past president of the AIA Alaska Chapter and a
current strategic council member of the AIA National Chapter
representing Alaska and the Mariana Islands. Both the chapter
locally and the organization as a whole represent over 90,000
architects and they oppose this bill as currently written. He
pointed out that the introduction and reading of amendments was
not accurate. In Section 28, the definition did not change from
the prior version as it was not updated to match the board-
approved amendment. This was one of many examples of the
discrepancies. He warned against rushing the process of passing
this legislation. Progress has been made, but more time is
needed to craft this bill.
2:51:43 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN asked how long interior designers and their group
have been in talks with AIA Alaska.
MR. MORSE replied that it has been going on for some years in
Alaska, and this is not the first legislative cycle where bills
like this were introduced. He has been involved in the process
since 2020 to craft a mutually agreeable bill.
2:53:03 PM
SENATOR DUNBAR asked whether AIA or other affiliates in other
states have come to a mutual agreement with interior designers.
MR. MORSE replied absolutely yes. He said that North Carolina,
Wisconsin, and Illinois are three examples that the AIA Working
Group reviewed that have passed bills that resulted from AIA
groups and interior designers working in collaboration. These
bills have commonalities that help set a standard, but this bill
is not at that point. Once it is there, he wants to go back to
his group and get approval. He wants to steer this bill to get
those results.
2:55:02 PM
CHAIR BJORKMAN kept public testimony open and held SB 73 in
committee.