I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4016 
To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot program for providing 
portable benefits to eligible workers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 25, 2019 
Ms. DELBENE (for herself, Mr. MOULTON, Mr. HIMES, Mr. PETERS, Mr. 
FOSTER, and Ms. SPANBERGER) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Labor to establish a pilot pro-
gram for providing portable benefits to eligible workers, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives 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 
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States, do not have access to benefits and protec-
tions typically provided through traditional full-time 
employment. 
(2) These independent workers are independent 
contractors, temporary workers, self-employed, or 
work pursuant to other contingent or alternative 
work arrangements. 
(3) According to a 2015 study by the Comp-
troller General of the United States, the size of the 
contingent workforce grew from 35 percent of em-
ployed 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 ar-
rangements. 
(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 ‘‘eligi-
ble organization’’ means any State or local govern-
ment or any nonprofit organization. 
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(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 con-
tractor, 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 eligi-
ble worker made by an entity (including 
multiple entities, if applicable) in connec-
tion 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 
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(iii) a combination of the contribu-
tions 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 2020, 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 
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(B) the design, implementation, and eval-
uation of new models or approaches for pro-
viding 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 sub-
mit an application to the Secretary, at such time, in such 
manner, and accompanied by such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
SEC. 5. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Not later than September 30, 2022, 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 
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compensation of workers receiving portable benefits under 
section 4. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated for fiscal year 2020— 
(1) $5,000,000 to carry out the grants de-
scribed in section 4(b)(1)(A); and 
(2) $15,000,000 to carry out the grants de-
scribed in section 4(b)(1)(B). 
(b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated under 
subsection (a) shall remain available until expended. 
Æ 
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