Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-39) passed the Freelance Worker Protection Act (FWPA) along a 68 to 38 vote in the Illinois House Chamber on Friday, March 24th. The legislation aims to expand legal protections for freelance workers in Illinois who currently lack basic protections other workers may take for granted — the right to a written contract, the right to negotiate free from retaliation, and the right to be paid for their work on time. The FWPA provides freelancers with the right to a written contract, where any freelancer performing over $500 of work for a hiring entity over a four-month period is entitled to a contract outlining the scope of the work, pay rate, and payment method. It creates a 30-day payment window, where clients must pay their freelancers within 30 days of completion of work specified in the contract (unless otherwise agreed upon) while empowering the Illinois Department of Labor to help resolve claims by unpaid freelancers. Freelancing is a rapidly growing and crucial sector of the economy: In 2022, 60 million Americans freelanced, making up 39 percent of the total workforce and contributing $1.35 trillion to the national economy.