{"id":311,"date":"2026-04-30T16:08:58","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T16:08:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/?p=311"},"modified":"2026-05-01T16:09:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T16:09:14","slug":"council-member-chi-osse-introduces-bill-to-establish-city-run-freelancers-payment-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/2026\/04\/30\/council-member-chi-osse-introduces-bill-to-establish-city-run-freelancers-payment-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9 Introduces Bill to Establish City-Run Freelancers Payment Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>New legislation would allow freelancers to receive upfront payment through a City-run fund, addressing late payments affecting over one million workers across New York City.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>New York, NY: <\/strong>Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9 today introduced legislation to create a City-run Freelancers Payment Fund, a new system designed to ensure freelancers get paid on time by allowing them to receive payment through the City rather than waiting on hiring parties.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even after the passage of the Freelance Isn\u2019t Free Act, freelancers across New York City continue to face delayed or missing payments \u2014 75% of freelancers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ts-firm.com\/post\/freelance-isnt-free-act-guide\">roughly<\/a> 150,000 people each year, experience late pay. Nonpayment can be detrimental, affecting their ability to cover rent, necessities, and basic expenses. The Freelancers Payment Fund would allow freelancers to receive payment through the City for a small fee, rather than waiting on hiring parties, who would then reimburse the fund. This gives freelancers faster access to income and removes the burden of late payments, avoiding weeks-long complaint processes or small claims court while bills pile up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fund is designed as an optional service that freelancers can choose to opt into. The program would be administered by the Department of Small Business Services in coordination with the Economic Development Corporation, which would handle the fund\u2019s operations. Additionally, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection could play a key role given its existing oversight of freelancer issues, particularly when it comes to implementation and enforcement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFreelancers built New York City\u2019s creative economy, and they deserve to get paid on time, without begging for what they\u2019ve already earned,\u201d said <strong>Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9.<\/strong> \u201cFreelancers are still chasing invoices, sending follow-ups, and waiting months to get paid, if they get paid at all. My bill, the Freelance Payment Fund, would guarantee freelancers can access their earnings on time. So think of it like Venmo Instant Transfer but backed by the City! The Freelance Isn\u2019t Free Act established necessary safeguards, but ten years later, it\u2019s time to strengthen them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFreelancers don\u2019t have a payroll department to lean on \u2014 they are the payroll department. This bill recognizes that reality and offers a solution. A City-backed payment fund means freelancers can stop chasing checks and start focusing on their work,\u201d said <strong>Interim Executive Director, Elle Toussi.<\/strong> \u201cWe thank Councilmember Oss\u00e9 for partnering on this innovative legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><em>New legislation would allow freelancers to receive upfront payment through a City-run fund, addressing late payments affecting over one million workers across New York City.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>New York, NY: <\/strong>Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9 today introduced legislation to create a City-run Freelancers Payment Fund, a new system designed to ensure freelancers get paid on time by allowing them to receive payment through the City rather than waiting on hiring parties.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><small><a href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/2026\/04\/30\/council-member-chi-osse-introduces-bill-to-establish-city-run-freelancers-payment-fund\/\">READ MORE<\/a><\/small><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":339,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statements-press-releases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/339"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/chi-osse\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}