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Lawmakers hear proposal to let gig and contract workers use employer‑paid portable benefit accounts
Summary
H 5941 would allow employers to make contributions to portable benefit accounts that nontraditional workers could use for health insurance and other benefits; sponsor said the approach already is used by a community clinic in his district.
The committee heard H 5941, which would authorize a portable‑benefit arrangement for nontraditional workers — independent contractors, gig workers and others without access to employer‑provided benefits — allowing an employer to deposit funds into an account employees can use to purchase insurance or benefits.
Representative who sponsored the bill said the model already exists locally: a public‑health clinic in his district had moved from providing direct employer insurance to contributing to accounts employees could use to buy plans that fit their needs. “They were able to arrange to enroll all their employees into what is in essence a portable benefit plan,” the sponsor said, and the bill would create a statutory path for similar arrangements for contractors and gig workers.
The proposal is intended to broaden access to benefits for a growing share of the workforce who lack traditional employer coverage. Testimony was introductory and the committee did not take a vote; staff and members requested additional drafting on program structure, contribution levels and interaction with state insurance rules.
