Gig platforms must reveal how algorithms set pay and monitor workers.
H.R. 6646 — Empowering App-Based Workers Act · Filed by Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) · 14 cosponsors · Introduced Dec 11, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill requires digital labor platforms (ride-hail, delivery, gig-work apps) to disclose how they monitor workers, set pay, and make decisions about work assignments. It caps take rates (the platform's cut) at 25% for ride-hail services, bans pay discrimination based on worker characteristics, and prevents platforms from using surveillance data to infer immigration status, political beliefs, or union activity. Workers gain the right to see their data, request explanations of algorithmic decisions, and authorize representatives to receive disclosures on their behalf.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is mandatory disclosure of algorithmic decision-making and pay practices, combined with a take-rate cap and anti-discrimination rules. It is fundamentally a transparency and labor-protection measure, not a subsidy or carve-out.
What the text implies
- The bill's definition of 'covered digital labor platform' excludes platforms that 'only provide the means by which service providers can reach an end-user without involvement of the platform in the terms or conditions of the work'—a carve-out that may allow some labor platforms to escape coverage by claiming minimal algorithmic involvement, even if they set pay or monitor workers.
- The 25% take-rate cap applies only to 'on-demand transportation services' (ride-hail), not delivery, warehousing, or other gig sectors. Platforms may shift extraction to delivery or other verticals not capped by this bill.
- Enforcement relies on the Secretary of Labor's investigation and complaint resolution; the bill does not create a private right of action, meaning workers cannot sue directly for violations—they must file complaints with the agency.
- The bill requires platforms to retain worker data for 4 years and disclose it to workers within 5 business days, but does not explicitly prohibit platforms from using that data for other purposes (e.g., selling to third parties) after the worker's tenure ends, provided notice is given.
- Algorithmic wage-setting is permitted if the platform can 'clearly demonstrate' cost differentials or collective bargaining requirements, but the bill does not define the evidentiary standard or who bears the burden of proof in disputes.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
App-based workers—disproportionately people of color and women—gain enforceable rights to transparency, algorithmic accountability, and protection against discriminatory pay practices. The 25% take-rate cap on ride-hail directly limits platform extraction. Whistleblower protections and data-access rights shift power toward workers in a sector marked by wage theft and algorithmic opacity.
Named in the bill
Secretary of Labor, Uber, DoorDash, Lyft, Amazon Flex, Instacart, digital labor platforms, app-based workers, ride-hail industry, delivery services, Fair Labor Standards Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Where it stands
14 cosponsors: 14 Democrats.
- Dec 11, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Dec 11, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
4 lobbying clients named this bill on 5 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $1,080,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 6 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 72% of bills with at least one filing.
Pramila Jayapal, the sponsor, reported $289,750 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- Doordash, Inc. — $750,000 on 1 filing
- Flex Association — $210,000 on 2 filings
- Grubhub Holdings Inc. — $80,000 on 1 filing
- Flex Association — $40,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (50,094 characters) on Apr 13, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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