Protecting Independent Contractors from Discrimination Act of 2026

This bill, titled the Protecting Independent Contractors from Discrimination Act of 2026, aims to extend federal anti-discrimination protections to individuals who work under independent contracts. It directly affects independent contractors by legally classifying them as employees under several major federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The key mechanism involves amending the definitions of "employee" or "applicant for employment" within these existing statutes to explicitly include independent contractors. Consequently, independent contractors would gain the same legal recourse against discrimination based on race, age, disability, genetic information, and other protected categories as traditional employees.