Committee to Consider Amendments to Independent Contractor Bill

Thursday, April 7, 2016 | 0

A legislative committee today will consider several amendments to a measure that aims to clarify the circumstances under which a workers may be considered independent contractors instead of an employees, including one that would classify workers as independent contractors only if they purchase workers' compensation insurance, according to a report by the Vermont Digger website.

Rep. Johannah Donovan

The state Legislature's website confirms that the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee will hear House Bill 867 during a meting that starts at 9 a.m. at the Capitol. The committee introduced the bill to change the "like work" provision in Vermont labor law so that workers who perform a function that is a core part of an employer's business can still be considered self-employed independent contractors.

Rep. Johannah Donovan, D-Burlington, has proposed an amendment that would allow a person to be considered an independent contractor only if that person carries his own workers' compensation insurance, according to the Vermont Digger report. Other amendments would:

• Classify any workers performing the same work as each other on a job site as employees.
• Allow labor officials to levy a $5,000 fine on employers who "coerce a prospective employee into becoming an independent contractor.
• Give the state attorney general authority to investigate worker misclassification and prosecute businesses under consumer protection laws.