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Portable Benefits Model Legislation Flexible Workers Declaration
Interactive Legislative Map
Click a state below for more information on which states support Independent Contractors.
Our State Impact
Federal and state policies are outdated in light of new models of work. Many self-employed professionals and freelancers are unable to access workplace benefits—such as healthcare, retirement, disability, and parental benefits—without jeopardizing their independent status.
Women value flexibility. They work independently to balance earning incomes with raising children, caregiving for aging parents, and managing their health issues.
Independent Women engaged in efforts to pass portable benefits legislation in five states in 2025, with Tennessee and Alabama passing bills this year.
This builds on our efforts to align federal policy with state legislation. We’ve testified before U.S. House and Senate committee hearings and roundtables and advised policymakers on two federal bills:
- Watch: Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) hearing “Freedom to Work: Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers”
- Watch: House Education & the Workforce Committee, Subcommittee on Workforce Protections, hearing “Unlocking Opportunity: Allowing Independent Contractors to Access Benefits”
- In the News: Pennsylvania Roundtable hosted by U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie
Portable Benefits Model Legislation
This model legislation was developed by Independent Women to remove legal barriers that prevent companies from offering workplace benefits to freelancers without triggering worker reclassification.
Interested in advancing Independent Women’s model legislation in your state? Email [email protected].
“Portable benefits empower workers to better control their own destinies. All Americans, but especially women, value workplace flexibility as they design their lives to fit the needs of families, caregiving, travel, and other responsibilities. Portable benefits are a key piece in solving the puzzle of time and space constraints.”
Carrie Sheffield, senior policy analyst at Independent Women
“Portable benefits are a game-changer for the freelance workforce. Some 80% of self-employed workers desire them. Would-be entrepreneurs gain the confidence to quit a traditional job without fear of losing critical benefits. IW’s model takes a voluntary approach to expanding portable benefits, rather than costly mandates or mass reclassification that destroys flexible opportuni”
Patrice Onwuka, director of Independent Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity
“American workers desire flexible work arrangements—including the option for portable benefits. They don’t want to trade flexibility for stability. That’s where creating a voluntary portable benefits system comes into play and revolutionizes the future of work.”
Gabriella Hoffman
Flexible Workers Bill of Rights Declaration
- Workers deserve access to a wide range of work models.
- Workers deserve the right to work for themselves.
- Workers deserve to pursue opportunities to work on their own schedules.
- Flexible workers deserve to carry the benefits from job to job.
- Workers deserve to carry their licenses across states.
- Workers deserve to opt out of union membership.
