Licensed Professional Interior Designer Practice Act.

Existing law, until January 1, 2027, establishes a scheme for the certification of interior designers by the California Council for Interior Design Certification, a nonprofit organization, by obtaining a stamp from the council that identifies them as a certified interior designer, and makes it an unfair business practice for any person to represent or hold themselves out as a certified interior designer without a valid certification. Existing law also authorizes the council to issue a commercial designation to a person who satisfies specified requirements. Under the existing scheme, a certification under those provisions expires in 2 years unless renewed in a specified manner. Existing law, the Architects Practice Act, establishes the California Architects Board, consisting of 10 members, in the Department of Consumer Affairs to license and regulate the practice of architecture. This bill would authorize the council to issue a professional designation to a certified interior designer or qualified applicant only until ____, 2027, and would instead provide for the licensure and regulation of the practice of professional interior design, as defined, by the board. The bill would add a member to the board who is a professional interior designer, and would specify that the professional interior designer member's term begins and expires on unspecified dates. The bill would require the board to determine eligibility requirements, including examination and education requirements necessary for licensure. The bill would authorize the board to determine whether additional education or training is required for professional interior designers to identify when architectural or engineering services are required and, if so, would require the board to develop and prescribe sufficient education or training. The bill would make it a misdemeanor, punishable by an unspecified fee or by imprisonment in a county jail, or both, to engage in certain acts, including engaging in the practice