IDRA the Agency: First Lady Michelle Obama Unveils Effort to Remove Licensing Barriers that Affect Design Professionals

First Lady Michelle Obama Unveils Effort to Remove Licensing Barriers that Affect Design Professionals

Pentagon, February 15, 2012 - First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden alongside Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army General Martin E. Dempsey and Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neil Wolin, announced a new report focusing on ways to streamline licensing regulations across state lines for professionals requiring licensing. Interior Design Resource Agency Managing Director, V. Carr was in attendance at the event hosted by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta alongside top government officials and congressional leaders. The careers of interior designers, architects, general contractors and other trade industries requiring occupational licensing will be eligible for reciprocal licensing across state lines throughout the United States if they are the spouse of an active duty military member. The solution aims to permit professionals requiring licensing to get to work quicker by providing ease and expedition of required licensing procedures for employment, while enabling all states to maintain their professional standards and requirements.

Tennessee, Colorado and Arizona are states which have already taken steps to address this issue. Anticipating that all 50 states will pass legislation affirmatively addressing the licensing issues by 2014, the purpose of this report is to outline best practices that leaders across the country can use as a resource to enable their states to better support the careers of interior designers, architects and trade professionals in military Mrs. Obama and Dr. Biden will present the issue to the governors of all 50 state governors later this month at the National Governors Association of Conference.

“If passed, this legislation will positively affect a large percentage of our active membership of nearly 85,000 designers and the interior design industry as a whole.” V. Carr said in a statement following the event. “Applying for new licensing in each state can take months and deter, if not, prevent designers from getting to work quickly after moving to a new state. This legislation will ensure that designers and architects in military families can get to work quickly doing what they love, without the hassle of applying for new licensing in each state. It’s much needed.”

About The Interior Design Resource Agency

The Interior Design Resource Agency (IDRA) is the premiere operations and management consultancy for interior architects and designers with a design audience in over 60 nations around the globe. IDRA offers unparalleled business resources for interior design professionals with focused guidance and support on the operations and management aspects of the business. IDRA's vast resource library includes literary and multimedia resources that address contracts, marketing, public relations, organizational structure, accounting and more. Additionally IDRA has a global network of estimable experts with extensive experience in their respective disciplines and have shown excellence in their areas of expertise. The IDRA Diplomatic Corps serves local design communities through IDRA Ambassadors and by creating local chapters to support designers at the municipal level. Find IDRA on the web at www.IDRAtheAgency.com and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/IDRAtheAgency.