[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1696 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1696
To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program for
providing portable benefits to eligible workers, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 18, 2023
Mr. Warner (for himself, Mr. Young, Mr. King, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Bennet,
and Mr. Hoeven) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program for
providing portable benefits to eligible workers, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Portable Benefits for Independent
Workers Pilot Program Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Many independent workers, constituting a growing
percentage of the workforce in the United States, do not have
access to benefits and protections typically provided through
traditional full-time employment.
(2) These independent workers are independent contractors,
temporary workers, or self-employed, or work pursuant to other
contingent or alternative work arrangements.
(3) According to a 2015 study by the Comptroller General of
the United States, the size of the contingent workforce grew
from 35 percent of employed workers in 2006 to 40 percent of
employed workers in 2010.
(4) According to a 2016 study by economists Lawrence Katz
and Alan Krueger, 94 percent of net employment growth in the
United States economy from 2005 to 2015 occurred in alternative
work arrangements.
(5) As the population of independent workers grows, it is
increasingly important that workers are provided portable
benefits.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Eligible organization.--The term ``eligible
organization'' means any State or local government or any
nonprofit organization.
(2) Eligible work.--The term ``eligible work'' means any
work performed that is not in connection with traditional full-
time employment.
(3) Eligible worker.--The term ``eligible worker'' means
any worker who is not a traditional full-time employee of the
entity hiring the worker for the eligible work, including any
independent contractor, contract worker, self-employed
individual, freelance worker, temporary worker, or contingent
worker.
(4) Portable benefits.--The term ``portable benefits''--
(A) means work-related benefits that are provided
to eligible workers for eligible work in a manner that
allows the worker to maintain the benefits upon
changing jobs; and
(B) includes--
(i) contributions on behalf of the eligible
worker made by an entity (including multiple
entities, if applicable) in connection with
eligible work performed by the worker for the
entity, including entities that facilitate the
sale of such work;
(ii) contributions made by the eligible
worker; or
(iii) a combination of the contributions
described in clauses (i) and (ii).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Labor.
(6) Work-related benefits.--The term ``work-related
benefits'' means benefits, including protections, of a type
that are commonly provided to traditional full-time employees,
such as workers' compensation, skills training, disability
coverage, health insurance coverage, retirement saving, income
security, and short-term saving.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PORTABLE BENEFITS PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in consultation with the head of
any other relevant Federal agency, shall award grants for fiscal year
2023, on a competitive basis, to eligible organizations to support
broad innovation and experimentation with respect to portable benefits.
(b) Uses of Funds.--
(1) Types of grants.--The grants awarded under subsection
(a) shall be grants for--
(A) the evaluation, or improvement to the design or
implementation, of existing models or approaches for
providing portable benefits; or
(B) the design, implementation, and evaluation of
new models or approaches for providing such benefits.
(2) Requirement regarding retirement-related benefits.--An
eligible organization that receives a grant under subsection
(a) may not use the grant to fund a model or approach described
in paragraph (1) that provides only retirement-related
benefits.
(c) Potential for National Applicability.--In awarding grants under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider the potential of the model
or approach described in subsection (b)(1) to be replicated on a large
scale or at the national level.
(d) Applications.--Each eligible organization that desires to
receive a grant under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the
Secretary, at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Secretary may require.
SEC. 5. REPORT TO CONGRESS.
Not later than September 30, 2025, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall evaluate the outcome of the grants awarded under
section 4(a) and provide a report on such evaluation to Congress. Such
report shall include an assessment of the impact of such grants on the
compensation of workers receiving portable benefits under section 4.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal
year 2023--
(1) $5,000,000 to carry out the grants described in section
4(b)(1)(A); and
(2) $15,000,000 to carry out the grants described in
section 4(b)(1)(B).
(b) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under subsection (a) shall
remain available until expended.
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