Last Tuesday, the PA Senate Banking and Insurance Committee advanced Senate Bill 967, legislation that would create an employer-financed system of benefits for app-based gig workers. The PA Chamber supported this bill (CLICK HERE for our memo to the Committee), which now stands before the full Senate for consideration.

As we noted to Committee members, the emergence of the gig economy has allowed individuals to earn a living or supplemental income while deciding for themselves when and for whom they work, providing economic opportunity for many whose lives and schedules may not be conducive to traditional employment.

S.B. 967, sponsored by Sen. Ryan Aument (R-Lancaster) would assess a fee from companies that offer app-based transportation or courier services for a fund to provide benefits for those Pennsylvanians with whom they contract. By establishing a collective fund that is administered by the state, individuals will have more autonomy and could transfer their benefits with them even if they move to a new app-based employer.

The PA Chamber has been actively engaged in public policy related to the gig economy, including opposing proposals backed by organized labor to force independent contractors into employment status.  For example, The Hill newspaper in Washington D.C. published this op-ed last year by PA Chamber Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Alex Halper.