We, the undersigned, urge you, in your consideration of Senate Bill 4204 and Assembly Bill 5936 in New Jersey, to preserve the independent contractor model that has existed in the travel industry for decades and provides opportunities to thrive for thousands of small business owners.

Independent travel advisors are an integral part of the travel industry. We have the freedom to set our own hours and schedules, set our own rates, select the customers with whom we will work, as well as the products we will sell. We are in business for ourselves.

We benefit enormously from our relationships with hosting agencies that provide services and resources we cannot get otherwise. As originally proposed, S4204/A5936 put this system at risk and would result in a loss of jobs and business. It would also harm travel suppliers who would have fewer agents to distribute their products and consumers who would have access to fewer travel professionals.

It is critical that this legislation be clear that workers engaged to sell travel in our industry will be evaluated under the current standard that has been place in New Jersey for many years. Assembly Bill 5 in California exempted travel agents along with other industries such as physicians, dentists, real estate agents and CPAs from similar legislation. I feel strongly that if New Jersey is to adopt a bill governing employee-independent contractor standards, independent travel agent relationships should be preserved here as well.