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Nov 16, 2020 By Abby Wilson, IIDA Advocacy and Public Policy Manager
IIDA Advocacy: Sunset Reviews
Many laws contain a clause that calls for regular review or termination after a certain period of time–learn what this means as you advocate for your profession.
By Abby Wilson, IIDA Advocacy and Public Policy Manager Nov 16, 2020
Published in

Advocating for your profession doesn’t stop when a bill, law, or regulation is passed. In fact, many laws and regulatory bodies are reviewed and assessed on a regular basis to meet the changing needs of practitioners and the communities that they serve. State agencies, boards, or legislation may contain a clause that provides an automatic review or repeal once a certain date is reached, called a sunset law, resulting in a sunset review.

A sunset review is an evaluation of the continued need for or needs of a state regulatory agency, board, or program. The review allows for a legislature to assess the effectiveness and performance of the agency, board, or program, and make any modifications that may be needed.

Although the internal process may vary from state to state, many states add the sunset clause when the law is first passed or the regulatory body is created, with a review frequency that can range from every two years to ten years after the law passes. The sunset review typically yields a recommendation to retain the agency, board, or program as is; modify agency, board, or program; or allow the agency, board, or program to terminate.

It is very common for professional regulatory laws and boards to have a sunset review process in place, including many of the interior design laws and boards around the country. It is not something to be fearful of, as IIDA has the resources to help guide you through the process. In 2021, both interior design laws in Utah and Illinois are up for sunset review, and IIDA Headquarters, along with ASID and our local components have been working hard to make sure our laws are safe.

In some instances, the sunset review process is a good exercise that allows the profession to make relevant administrative changes to the law if something has changed in the last ten years. For example, we may want to try and lower the fees associated with a registration or licensure, or add CEU requirements–it is sometimes appropriate to try and make a case for small updates during a sunset review.

As interior design advocates, it is important to know whether your state law requires a sunset review, and when that takes place so that you may participate. Many state legislatures are enacting bills now that require all professional boards to undergo a sunset review, and the interior design profession should be prepared to be a part of those conversations.

As always if you have more questions please do not hesitate to reach out to the IIDA Advocacy Department at advocacy@iida.org.

If you are interested in becoming an advocate for your profession or learning more about what IIDA Advocacy does, visit our
advocacy page.

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