Freedom Fight in Oregon
Interior Design Legislation: 2/3/11 Update
HB 2491 is currently being reviewed by the Business and Labor Committee of the Oregon House. The bill's sponsor is Representative Paul Holvey.
Please read the bill — it's only five pages, with 20 sections.
Be on the lookout for contradictions, and purposely vague language, meant to lull you into believing that residential decorators and designers (and employees of retail establishments) are exempt, so you'll sit on the sidelines and let the bill pass. Compare Sections 1, 3, 5, and 11. Section 14 contradicts itself with vague references to the Board of Interior Design Fund and the General Fund. Where will the money come from? Where will the money go?
Be on the lookout for every clause that defers ultimate decisions about who can and who cannot practice interior design. The proposed bill gives the Regulatory Board vast control without any provisions for overseeing by anyone. Five people controlling the future of all Oregon designers? "Board" is used 55 times in this bill! Here's an example of the control that the Board would have:
"SECTION 3. The Board of Interior Design may:
"(1) Adopt rules to enforce the provisions of sections 1 to 14 of this 2011 Act and to exercise general supervision over the practice of interior design in this state."
There's more! Read Sections 12 and 13. NO group of individuals should ever have that much control and power!
Please take the time to read the Daily Journal of Commerce article, "Bill Would Define Interior Designers, Decorators". Patti Morrow, the National Director of the Interior Design Protection Council, presented logical, factual comments to provide clear evidence that we need to defeat HB 2491 while it's still in committee. Let's stop wasting valuable time and money on a bill that's not good for Oregon designers and Oregon consumers!
Nothing about this bill protects consumers' health, safety, and welfare — oops, excuse me. It's now peace, health and safety. What? Peace? If this bill passes, will we have peace? Please, give us a break! Proponents can provide no evidence to support a real need for it, because there is none. Join me in writing to the committee members, to let them know that we oppose HB2491. Most of the work has been done for you; all you have to do is complete the e-mail with:
- Why you're opposed to the bill
- Your name and city at the bottom
Below is the committee members' contact information. Take action now, and write them a short message, telling them that you oppose HB2491.
Rep. Paul Holvey (Bill sponsor): rep.paulholvey@state.or.us
Rep. Bill Kennemer, Co-Chair: rep.billkennemer@state.or.us
Mike Schaufler, Co-Chair: rep.mikeschaufler@state.or.us
Margaret Doherty, Co-Vice Chair: rep.margaretdoherty@state.or.us
Sal Esquivel, Co-Vice Chair: rep.salesquivel@state.or.us
Jason Conger: rep.jasonconger@state.or.us
Val Hoyle: rep.valhoyle@state.or.us
Mark Johnson: rep.markjohnson@state.or.us
Greg Matthews: rep.gregmatthews@state.or.us
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The proposed Bill, and Oregon's Interior Design Communities, are the stongest, friendliest and most bonded group in the country. Anyone who disagrees is either grossly misinformed, or fearful, or up to something under the regulations radar, so shouldn't be practicing anyway. Credentials don't mean anything without enforcement or a avenue for the public to express their grievances. Perhaps this is why members of the Freedom Fight in Oregon are so afraid of this time bomb, because the public will quickly figure out they have been getting lemons.
Actually, the Oregon bill is one of the most restrictive, powerful bills I’ve ever seen. The proposed board appears to have sweeping power to do pretty much whatever it would choose to do, AND any fines it levies will be added to the Board’s funds. To me, that sounds a lot like the old Inquisition, where an accused was presumed guilty, and there were no not-guilty verdicts.
Are YOU ready to face a Board, made up largely of your competitors, to prove that you either are qualified to do work, or that you didn’t so something an anonymous accuser has claimed? This is bad law, and I continue to oppose it.
[...] pay more for their professional services. There is more information about HB-2491 in my previous blog, and this site contains detailed information about what organizations are behind similar [...]