The Massachusetts House and Senate are once again meeting following the August recess, including reconvening the committee hearing process. NFIB will continue to monitor and comment on the proposals that will impact small businesses in the Commonwealth.
This week the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development heard legislation on the state’s onerous independent contractor laws. Massachusetts has some of the most restrictive contractor laws in the nation for self-employed individuals after changes were made in 2004. The current laws make it near impossible to be considered an independent contractor in Massachusetts, and if the laws were ever fully enforced, would result in many businesses being penalized for misclassification. The current scenario has led to much confusion, while making Massachusetts a major outlier at a time when many workers are opting for the freedom of self-employed work arrangements.
NFIB submitted testimony in favor of several bills that seek to fix, and standardized the definitions for independent contractors and make it easier to be a self-employed worker in Massachusetts.
