,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dbgf  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #bb1     
#bjbj ,mr4 ,warner 7for himself and ,mr4
 ,daines7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,finance  ,a ,,bill   
,to require the ,secretary of ,labor to 
establish a program for providing       
portable benefits to eligible workers1  
and for other purposes4  #a4 ,short     
title ,this ,act may be cited as the    
,emergency ,portable ,benefits for      
,independent ,workers ,act4  #b4        
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,many independent workers and    
workers in alternative work             
arrangements1 constituting a sizable    
percentage of the workforce in the      
,united ,states1 do not have access to  
benefits and protections typically      
provided through traditional full-time  
employment4  7#b7 ,workers in           
alternative work arrangements include   
independent contractors1 domestic       

workers1 temporary workers1 the         
self-employed1 and others in contingent 
work arrangements4  7#c7 ,according to a
 #bjag survey by the ,bureau of ,labor  
,statistics1 workers in alternative work
 arrangements as their primary form of  
occupation constitute #aj4a percent of  
the labor force1 roughly #af1jjj1jjj    
,americans4  7#d7 ,in response to the   
global pandemic caused by the           
coronavirus1 ,congress created the      
temporary ,pandemic ,unemployment       
,assistance program under title ,,ii of 
division ,a of the ,coronavirus ,aid1   
,relief1 and ,economic ,security ,act   
7,public ,law #aaf-acf7 to provide      
access to unemployment insurance to     
previously ineligible workers1 such as  
gig workers1 freelancers1 and the       
self-employed4  7#e7 ,the people of the 
,united ,states should not need an ,act 
of ,congress to have access to essential
 benefits and protections during the    
next economic downturn4  #c4            
,definitions ,in this ,act3  7#a7       

,coronavirus ,the term coronavirus has  
the meaning given the term in section   
#ejf of the ,coronavirus ,preparedness  
and ,response ,supplemental             
,appropriations ,act1 #bjbj 7,public    
,law #aaf-abc74  7#b7 ,eligible work    
,the term eligible work means any work  
performed for pay that is not in        
connection with traditional full-time   
employment4  7#c7 ,eligible worker ,the 
term eligible worker means-- 7,a7 any   
worker who is not a permanent full-time 
employee of the parent entity hiring the
 worker for the eligible work1 including
 any independent contractor1 contract   
worker1 self-employed individual1       
freelance worker1 or temporary worker2  
and  7,b7 any worker not traditionally  
eligible for unemployment compensation  
under the law of the ,state1 including  
such a worker who has been affected by  
the coronavirus4  7#d7 ,portable        
benefits ,the term portable benefits--  
7,a7 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 jobs2 and  7,b7 includes--    
7i7 contributions on behalf of the      
eligible worker made by a hiring entity 
7including multiple entities1 if        
applicable7 in connection with eligible 
work performed by the worker for the    
entity1 including entities that         
facilitate the sale of such work2  7ii7 
contributions made by the eligible      
worker2  7iii7 contributions on behalf  
of the eligible worker made by          
consumers2  7iv7 contributions on behalf
 of the eligible worker made by labor   
organizations or worker advocate        
non-profit organizations2  7v7          
contributions made by a ,state or local 
unit of government2 or  7vi7 a          
combination of two or more of the       
contributions described in clauses 7i7  
through 7v74  7#e7 ,secretary ,the term 
,secretary means the ,secretary of      
,labor4  7#f7 ,state ,the term ,state   
means each of the several ,states of the

 ,united ,states1 the ,district of      
,columbia1 ,puerto ,rico1 ,american     
,samoa1 the ,united ,states ,virgin     
,islands1 ,guam1 and the ,northern      
,mariana ,islands4  7#g7 ,worker        
advocate non-profit organization ,the   
term worker advocate non-profit         
organization means an entity-- 7,a7 that
 is an organization--  7i7 described in 
section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal       
,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from 
tax under section #eja7;a7 of such      
,code2 or  7ii7 wholly owned or         
controlled by an organization described 
in clause 7i72  7,b7 all of whose       
actions regarding providing benefits to 
workers are taken for the sole purpose  
of maximizing benefits to the workers2  
7,c7 that is neither owned nor          
controlled1 in whole or in part1 by any 
entity that is not an organization      
described in subparagraph 7,a77i72 and  
7,d7 that has a board of directors that 
holds a fiduciary duty to the workers   
with respect to provision of the        

benefits4  7#h7 ,work-related benefits  
,the term work-related benefits means   
benefits of a type that are commonly    
provided to traditional full-time       
employees1 such as workers'             
compensation1 paid leave1 skills        
training1 disability coverage1 health   
insurance coverage1 retirement saving1  
income security1 and short-term saving4 
#d4 ,establishment of portable benefits 
program  7a7 ,emergency portable        
benefits program established  7#a7 ,in  
general ,by not later than ,september   
#a1 #bjbj1 the ,secretary shall award   
funding1 through allotments described in
 subsection 7b71 to ,states to-- 7,a7   
assist in the technology modernization  
necessary for the expansion of          
unemployment insurance2 and  7,b7       
support broad innovation and            
experimentation with respect to portable
 benefits4  7#b7 ,duration of allotments
 ,allotments awarded under this         
subsection shall be for not less than a 
#b-year period4  7b7 ,formula ,each     

,state's allotment under this section   
shall bear the same relation to the     
amount available to carry out this      
section as the population of the ,state 
bears to the population of all ,states4 
7c7 ,state requirements  7#a7 ,plan and 
implementation requirements ,a ,state   
that accepts an allotment under this    
section shall agree to--  7,a7 submit a 
plan for the use of the allotment1 in   
accordance with the requirements of     
subsection 7d71 by not later than #ij   
days after receiving the allotment2 and 
7,b7 fully implement the plan submitted 
under subparagraph 7,a7 by not later    
than #b years after receiving the       
allotment4  7#b7 ,return of funds ,a    
,state that does not wish to receive an 
allotment under this section or does not
 submit a plan described in paragraph   
7#a77;,a7 by the deadline required under
 such paragraph shall return the        
,state's allotment to the ,secretary of 
the ,labor4  7#c7 ,use of returned funds
 ,the ,secretary of ,labor shall use any

 funds returned under paragraph 7#b7 to 
provide supplemental allotments to the  
,states that did submit a plan under    
paragraph 7#a71 in the same manner as   
under subsection 7b74  7d7 ,uses of     
funds  7#a7 ,use of funds to improve    
unemployment compensation administration
 ,a ,state receiving an allotment under 
this section shall use #ej percent of   
the amount of such allotment for        
improving the administration systems of 
its unemployment compensation law1      
including by taking such steps as may be
 necessary to ensure adequate resources 
in periods of high demand and by        
modernizing the information technology  
infrastructure used for such            
administration4  7#b7 ,use of funds to  
establish experimental portable benefit 
programs ,a ,state receiving an         
allotment under this section shall1 in  
partnership with a local government1    
labor organization1 or worker advocate  
nonprofit organization1 use #ej percent 
of the amount of such allotment for the 

design1 implementation1 and evaluation  
of new models or approaches for         
providing portable benefits to eligible 
workers1 including--  7,a7 innovative   
proposals for paid leave1 including paid
 family leave and medical leave1 paid   
sick days1 and annual leave2  7,b7      
providing a job seeker's allowance2     
7,c7 retirement-related benefits2  7,d7 
the long-term expansion of eligibility  
for unemployment compensation2 and  7,e7
 other programs specific to local       
economies in the ,state4  #e4 ,report to
 ,congress ,not later than ,september   
#cj1 #bjbb1 the ,comptroller ,general of
 the ,united ,states shall evaluate the 
outcome of the allotments provided under
 section #d and provide a report on such
 evaluation to ,congress4 ,such report  
shall include an assessment of the      
impact of such allotments on the        
compensation of workers receiving       
portable benefits under section #d1 in  
the aggregate and disaggregated by      
socio-economic and racial or ethnic     

demographic variables4  #f4             
,authorization of appropriations  7a7   
,in general ,there is authorized to be  
appropriated to carry out this ,act     
#ejj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjba4  7b7
 ,availability ,amounts appropriated    
under subsection 7a7 shall remain       
available until expended4