SPONSOR: Gallick
COMMITTEE ACTION: Voted "Do Pass with HCS" by the Standing Committee on Professional Registration and Licensing by a vote of 20 to 1.
The following is a summary for the House Committee Substitute for HB 2353.
Currently, interior designers can be registered with the State to perform interior design services but there isn't a license for the profession. This bill would create a professional license for interior designers.
The bill abolishes the Interior Design Council and instead adds licensed interior designers to the Missouri Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, Professional Land Surveyors and Professional Landscape Architects (Board). The Board will be expanded to add two voting members who are licensed interior designers.
This bill adds interior designers to the list of professions that the Board may license applicants from other countries and states when the applicant has qualifications which are at least equivalent to the requirements for the applicable licensure in Missouri.
The bill specifies the educational requirements, training, and experience needed to become a licensed interior designer.
This bill defines the practice of licensed interior design and provides that licensed interior designer can only provide the services when he or she is qualified by education, training, and experience in the specific technical areas involved. Furthermore, licensed interior designer will be in responsible charge of interior design technical submissions that can affect the health, safety, and welfare of the public within their scope of practice. Licensed interior designers cannot take responsible charge over interior technical submissions prepared by another person unless the licensed interior designer actually exercises personal supervision and direct control over such interior technical submissions.
The professional license issued to a licensed interior designer, will be renewed on or before the license or certificate renewal date, provided that the required fee is paid. The Board may establish, by rule, continuing education requirements as a condition for renewing the license of a licensed interior designer, provided that the Board cannot require more professional development hours than the seven hours recommended by the American Society of Interior Designers or its successor organization.
The license of any licensed interior designer that is not renewed by the license renewal date will expire on the renewal date and be void, and the holder of an expired license will have no rights or privileges under the license or certificate. Any person whose license or certificate has expired may, within three months of the license or certificate renewal date or at the discretion of the Board, upon payment of the required fee, be renewed, relicensed, or reauthorized under the person's original license number.
This bill is similar to SCS SB 991, HB 566 (2025) and SCS SB 287 (2025).
The following is a summary of the public testimony from the committee hearing. The testimony was based on the introduced version of the bill.
PROPONENTS: Supporters say that interior designers have extensive education and training and they should be able to stamp and seal their own plans. A certified interior designer knows when to refer work that is outside his or her scope of practice. Seventeen other states have passed legislation to allow interior designers to stamp and seal their own plans and Missouri should too.
Testifying in person for the bill were Representative Gallick; Kerry Schuette; Scott Schuette, Vvell Studio; Imani Vaughan; Kelly Kirtland; Melissa Hildenbrand; Sarah Scott; and Susan P. Stevenson, PhD.
OPPONENTS: Those who oppose the bill say that they agree that interior designers should be able to be license and stamp and seal their plans but oppose requiring that all interior designs be done by licensed interior designers. There are projects that require an architect rather than an interior designer.
Testifying in person against the bill were Anika Careaga, Pe, Missouri Society of Professional Engineers; Arnie Dienoff; and Mark Rhoads. OTHERS: There was no informational testimony voiced to the committee.
Testifying in person on the bill were Trent Watson, Aia- Missouri; Curtis Goben, Aia Missouri.
Written testimony has been submitted for this bill. The full written testimony and witnesses testifying online can be found under Testimony on the bill page on the House website.
Statutes affected: