On September 6, the Senate passed H.R. 6124, the Tribal Social Security Fairness Act of 2018. The bill, which amends Title II of the Social Security Act, was passed by both the House and Senate by unanimous consent in identical form. It was presented to the President on September 12 and signed into law on September 20.

Currently, tribal council members are not allowed to pay into the Social Security program, but state and local government officials are. The Act corrects this by allowing tribal governments to opt in to agreements that provide Social Security coverage (including Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance benefits) to council members. Read more. Read More