ADAM SCHIFF, ALOE BLACC AND YOU

For folks in the gig economy, 2/22 was the day to be heard. Congressman Adam Schiff lent an ear, virtually, to gather stories from unemployed freelancers, contract workers and entrepreneurs who have struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic. The event was a benefit presented by the Future of Music Coalition, Music Artists Coalition and Songwriters of North America, with support from ASCAP.

Due to a loophole in the CARES Act that was passed in March 2020, so-called "mixed earners" were rendered ineligible for stimulus checks and unemployment benefits. Most music makers and other creative types fall into the mixed-earner category.

Mixed earners, as the name suggests, earn a combination of traditional (W-2) and self-employment (1099) income. The income derived from the W-2 precludes individuals from qualifying for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), i.e., unemployment insurance for the self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers.

The Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) benefit was passed as a stopgap measure, and now Schiff is pushing Congress to extend and enhance the program (and provide additional COVID relief).

Joining the California Democrat were actor David Dastmalchian (Ant Man) as host and singers Aloe Blacc and Darrell Aquino, performing their new, six-part opera about amending legislation, Be It Resolved!

We totally made up that opera thing, and we’re sorry.

Anyhoo, learn more about the mixed-earner conundrum at MixedEarners.org.