HB 61-REGISTER COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNERS  8:06:38 AM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 61, "An Act relating to commercial interior designers and commercial interior design; establishing registration and other requirements for the practice of professional commercial interior design; relating to the State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors; relating to liens for labor or materials furnished; relating to the procurement of commercial interior design services; and providing for an effective date." 8:07:05 AM REPRESENTATIVE MATT CLAMAN, Alaska State Legislature, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 61. He said the proposed legislation would change the professional licensing statute to recognize the expertise of certified professional interior designers who have passed the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), a three-part, 11-hour exam created to identify interior design professionals who have the skills and experience necessary to take on additional responsibility. He said the test is designed to assess the competency of candidates to protect the public through design elements such as fire safety, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) compliance, emergency egress, and material flammability. He said that in order to be eligible to take the NCIDQ exam one must have a degree from an accredited institution along with a minimum of 60 credit hours of postsecondary interior design coursework. He noted that there are no state licenses in Alaska for the profession of interior design, and one consequence of that is the absence of access to a construction stamp permitting interior designers to submit their work for permitting; this would be changed under HB 61. The practice of commercial interior design described in the text of the proposed legislation is specific and limited to nonstructural, or nonloadbearing, interior design elements; interior planning for occupant loads and exiting; and specification of code-compliant interior finishes, furnishings, and fixtures. The scope of commercial interior design practice described in HB 61, he said, is well within the competencies of interior designers as determined by education, training, and examination. REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN said HB 61 would bring economic benefits by increasing professional employment opportunities, providing incentive to hire Alaskans for professional interior design, attracting high-quality design talent to the state, encouraging small business and unrestrained trade, and expanding consumer choices for qualified design professionals. He noted that HB 61 would not change the requirements or daily practice for any other professional in design or construction including architects, engineers, contractors, tradespeople, decorators, or residential designers. Intended to be cost neutral to the state, Representative Claman explained, HB 61 would be self- funded through the Alaska State Board of Registration for Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors through application, registration, and renewal fees. As shown in the attached fiscal note, he said, passage of HB 61 would allow the board to hire an additional occupational license examiner, and the annual cost per licensee would be an additional $30. 8:11:41 AM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ noted 46 sections in the proposed legislation and told Mr. Bosworth he could summarize the sectional analysis. 8:11:57 AM JOEY BOSWORTH, Staff, Representative Matt Claman, summarized the sectional analysis. He said that Sections 1-4 relate to establishing the new terms in the AELS Licensing Board. Section 5 would add two seats to the board, one for a commercial interior designer and an additional engineering seat, creating separate seats for electrical and mechanical engineering, which currently share a seat. He said Sections 6-9 would establish commercial interior design as a certification tracked by the State of Alaska. Sections 8-14 would establish the examination requirements for registration as a commercial interior designer. Section 15, he said, would establish commercial interior design as a seal to be affixed to construction plans; Sections 16-22 would establish commercial interior design terminology in relation to the registration of corporations, limited liability partnerships, and limited liability companies. He said Sections 23-28 would protect the term "commercial interior design" from use by those not registered, and Section 29 would relate to exemptions. Sections 30-32 would establish definitions for terms used in the statute, and Sections 33-42 would establish "commercial interior design" as a term in legal context relating to statute. He said Sections 43-46 would establish the effective date and grace period for registration. 8:14:14 AM REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN noted that interior designers' work would include certain elements previously done only by architects. He asked whether the same liability requirements would apply. 8:15:09 AM MR. BOSWORTH deferred to Ms. Nunn. 8:15:44 AM DANA NUNN, Interior Design Director, Bettisworth North Architects and Planners, informed the committee that she is a National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certified interior designer. She said she works in environments impacting the public including daycares, schools, hospitals, senior living centers, museums, performing arts facilities, courthouses, churches, hotels, and athletic facilities. She described her work as providing standalone interior design services as well as serving as a project manager for larger projects, coordinating the work of multiple disciplines to achieve successful, safe, and code-compliant projects. She said HB 61 would provide another measure of public safety, protection, and risk mitigation in commercial buildings and would expand the choice of qualified professionals, increase professional employment opportunities, attract high quality talent, and encourage students who must leave Alaska to achieve their degree to return to Alaska for career opportunities. She described interior designers as qualified and ready to create safe, sustainable, accessible, and efficient interior environments in compliance with law and regulation. Interior designers in Alaska, she said, are already independently practicing these activities in states that recognize the profession. 8:17:58 AM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked Ms. Nunn whether she would like to address Representative Kaufman's question about liability. MS. NUNN replied that under HB 61 interior design would be added to the qualifications and requirements already in statute. 8:18:40 AM TOM BANKS, Chief Executive Officer, Council for Interior Design Qualification, testified in support of HB 61, which he described as recognizing qualified interior designers. He explained that the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) is the premier credentialling organization for interior design professionals, developing and administering the three-part NCIDQ exam required for regulated jurisdictional certification in the United States and Canada. He said NCIDQ-certified interior designers are required to undergo formal education and thousands of hours of supervised experience in order to sit for the exam, which tests knowledge of core competencies required for professional practice including code-based environments such as hospitals, office buildings, and schools. He said the exam has frequently been cited and mischaracterized by those in opposition to HB 61, specifically citing an unsupported claim that says two-thirds of the test may be passed with a score of 50 percent, and could include zero correct answers on the subject of building codes and standards. He said that none of these assertions are true, with building and safety code knowledge assessed in multiple sections of the test. An analysis of each question on the exam, he explained, found that it would be impossible to get all questions pertaining to those topics wrong and still pass the exam. He said CIDQ supports HB 61, along with all other proposed legislation that would allow certified interior designers to practice to the full extent of their capabilities as evidenced by education, experience, and examination. He noted that the public benefits when that happens. 8:21:18 AM REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN asked Mr. Banks about the liability obligations for interior designers relative to architects. MR. BANKS replied that, as he was not an expert on the bill language, he would defer to the bill sponsor. MR. BOSWORTH told Representative Kaufman that he would research his question. CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ said that the committee would wait for an answer to the liability question before taking formal action. [HB 61 was held over.]