[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 30 (Thursday, February 15, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NEW INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR RULES

  (Mr. KILEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KILEY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, Wage and Hour Division 
Administrator Jessica Looman testified before the House Subcommittee on 
Workforce Protections and could not answer the most basic questions 
about how the administration's new independent contractor rule will 
apply to millions of Americans.
  Will Realtors be considered employees or independent contractors? She 
could not say. Will truckers be considered employees or independent 
contractors? She could not say. Will writers be considered independent 
contractors or employees? She could not say.
  She could not say who will be allowed to work and who will have their 
careers taken away from them. The reason for her evasiveness is that we 
already know the answer.
  We have seen the devastating consequences of the law in California, 
AB5, that was the model for the Biden administration's rule.
  Take the story of Barbara. Barbara says:

       I am a proofreader. Nearly all proofreading is done online 
     on a freelance basis.
       Competition is fierce, and it is hard to get clients, but I 
     did it. I was thrilled at being able to choose what editing 
     jobs I was best suited for and to work as much or as little 
     as I wanted.
       Californians need not apply for any of these jobs, thanks 
     to AB5. Not only can I not work in my chosen career, but all 
     the time and money I spent is wasted.

  In order to prevent millions of Americans from suffering Barbara's 
fate, I am encouraging this House to pass my resolution under the 
Congressional Review Act to reverse the Biden administration's new 
rule.

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