According to a 2014 survey by Freelancer's Union, 71% of freelancers reported suffering client non-payment at some point in their career.  The study estimated that non-payment costs freelancers 13% of their yearly income, which is sure to rise due to COVID-19 related economic woes.

Millennials and highly-skilled professionals are choosing to freelance and represent almost 5% of the US GDP. The largest skilled worker categories are:

• Creative & graphic designers
• Software developers
• Finance and accounting consultants
• Business, HR & legal consultants

With this petition, we're asking Congress to sponsor a Federal bill to improve the employment agreement standards for Independent Professionals, including:

30-Day Payment Terms: unless otherwise specified in a contract, clients must pay freelancers within 30 days of work completion.
Mandatory Contracts: clients must use a contract when hiring a freelancer for over $800 of work and they can face fines if they refuse to provide one.
Payment Agreement Protections: clients cannot require that freelancers accept less than they’re owed in exchange for timely payment.
Anti-Retaliation: clients cannot retaliate against a freelancer for pursuing payment.
Legal Assistance: a city agency will investigate, may try to collect on the freelancer’s behalf, and will provide court navigation services if needed.
Double Damages: freelancers can collect double damages and attorneys fees in court, and repeat offenders can face penalties of up to $25,000.