Three Things to Know About the“Be My Own Boss” Bill

Title.

The bill title “Be My Own Boss” resonates strongly with how voluntary self-employed individuals think of themselves. They want to decide what work to do, how many hours they work, who they work for, and plan their own schedule. They don’t want a boss, they are their own boss. They want responsibility under federal law to run their work as a business, not as an employee

Toggle.

The self-employed want to toggle some government switch that acknowledges that they are working as their own boss and their own employee. This is a first for federal law.

Token.

The self-employed want a “token,” some sort of coinage or badge to demonstrate to their customers that they are voluntarily self-employed. They want to prove that they are a legitimate supplier of their services, not a closet employee nor a union plant trying to bring grievances into the workforce. Be My Own Boss establishes a numbering system in the Department of Labor to prove their status.