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House approves voluntary portable‑benefits plan for independent contractors
Summary
House passed House Bill 6‑45 to create an optional pooled portable benefits program for independent contractors; sponsors said it does not alter employee classification and the program is voluntary and contract‑based.
Lawmakers approved House Bill 6‑45, a voluntary portable‑benefits proposal aimed at independent contractors who lack employer‑provided benefits. The sponsor told the House the program allows contractors (1099 workers) to participate in pooled accounts that can pay for health insurance, retirement or other benefits, with hiring parties permitted to contribute under written agreement.
The sponsor emphasized that contributions would not be evidence of employee status for employment law, workers’ compensation, IRS classification, or other state statutes, and that the bill explicitly states it does not change the legal classification of independent contractors. The sponsor said roughly 30 percent of the workforce are independent contractors and that the program is modeled on similar efforts in other states to pool purchasing power and reduce costs.
Floor debate included a short procedural question-and-answer exchange clarifying that the program is voluntary, that any contribution must be by written agreement, and that county clerks and associations cited elsewhere supported the measure. The House approved the bill and it will be transmitted to the Senate.
