Saying the proposal will bring unintended consequences too great to ignore, State Sen. Vin
Gopal and Assemblywomen Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul sent a letter to N.J.
Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Robert Asaro–Angelo
encouraging him to pause a new rule that would redefine independent contractor status in
the state.
The three, who all represent the 11th District (Monmouth County), wrote that the proposal
would potentially create serious disruptions for the state’s businesses and employees. The
three said the proposed rule would hurt independent contractors by disrupting their
relationships with small businesses and by creating new administrative burdens and new
administrative costs that would impact consumer experiences.
The letter:
Dear Commissioner Asaro–Angelo:
We are writing this letter to urge you respectfully to reconsider the New Jersey Department
of Labor’s proposed rulemaking under N.J.A.C. 12:11, which would redefine the standards
for determining independent contractor status in New Jersey.
While the proposed revisions are clearly well–intentioned, we have heard from numerous
constituents across varied industries concerned about how this pending rule would impact
their careers and businesses. In light of these concerns, we hope the proposed rulemaking
can be paused to address what we believe would be unintended consequences if the rule
were finalized.
As currently proposed, we believe the revised rule would have far–reaching consequences,
negatively impacting small business owners, employees, and consumers. Through the
application of this proposed rule, employees who have chosen to work as independent
contractors could see their relationships with small businesses disrupted, resulting in new
administrative burdens on these businesses. Those disrupted relationships, and new
administrative costs, may also impact consumer experiences.
Considering the broad impacts this rule change could have, we believe this change
warrants further study, including a formal economic impact analysis. Thank you for your
consideration.
