From Americans for Tax Reform, the Americans for Tax Reform submitted the follwoing letter in support of Kansas House Bill 2019 which would permit rideshare drivers to be independent contractors with certain requirements.
January 26, 2023
Dear Representative,
I write to you today in support of House Bill 2019, legislation that would preserve the liberty of thousands of Kansans working as independent contractors on their own terms. By clarifying and affirming driver freedom in the existing regulatory framework for transportation network companies, this bill would strengthen the rights of independent contractors to earn a living as they see fit.
Drivers for app-based rideshare companies, such Uber and Lyft, prize the ability to be their own boss. Their status as independent contractors gives them broad flexibility in terms of when, where, and how often they work. Unlike traditional employees, who are subject to regularly scheduled shifts and restrictions on hours, gig economy drivers can open the app at any time and work for as long or little as they like.
While rideshare drivers are still considered independent contractors under Kansas law, several states have recently enacted radical changes to classification requirements, largely at the behest of unions and other labor groups. California’s AB 5, for example, reclassifies the vast majority of gig economy workers as employees, robbing their ability to work and be their own boss.
Other Democrat-run states, as well as the Biden-Harris administration, want to impose similar, California-style restrictions that would drive up costs – and prices – across the board.
HB 2019 would implement a reasonable framework for determining the legal status of rideshare drivers. So long as a rideshare company does not prescribe specific hours or limit their drivers’ ability to offer rides through a different transportation network, drivers may continue to work as independent contractors. If enacted, this language can serve a model for other states looking to protect the freedom of rideshare drivers from the political influence of powerful labor bosses, who seek to curtail worker autonomy in order to bolster flagging union dues revenue.
The freedom to work as an independent contractor provides flexibility for households and vibrancy to the Kansas economy. As such, Americans for Tax Reform supports a YES vote on HB 2019.
Thank you for your leadership and public service.
Sincerely,
Grover G. Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform
