Senate Approves Tribal Leader Social Security Bill

The U.S. Senate approved a bill that would allow Tribal Council members access to Social Security benefits. The Senate’s unanimous vote on Thursday, September 6 tees up The Tribal Social Security Fairness Act of 2018 (H.R. 6124) for President Donald Trump’s signature.Originally passed in 1935, the Social Security Act was not made available to state and local officials. The law was amended in 1951 to allow states to enter into agreements with the Social Security Administration. No provision was made for tribal officials. The IRS later declared that tribal council members’ earnings were ineligible for contribution to Social Security, barring them from access to the program’s benefits.Numerous Native organizations have demonstrated support for the bipartisan bill H.R. 6124, co-sponsored by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and John Thune (R-SD). They include: the National Congress of American Indians, the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Association, NAFOA, and Washington state tribes.“I have worked on this issue for a number of years because it is important to encourage our youth to serve our communities, and we should do that by eliminating barriers to service. No one should be punished by the federal government for serving their community,” Muckleshoot Tribal Council Chair Virginia Cross said. “The Tribal Social Security Fairness Act helps to remove barriers to tribal service for our young leaders.”“Tribal council members in Washington state and throughout the country have dedicated their lives to service and improving their communities,” Senator Cantwell said. “They deserve the same access to Social Security that all other Americans have. I thank my colleagues for working with me to fix this injustice, and I will continue working to achieve retirement security for everyone in Indian Country.”NAFOA reported that it anticipates the bill will be signed into law in coming days.“With this bill, leaders across Indian Country will have long overdue parity with other governmental leaders,” stated Cristina Danforth (Oneida Nation), President of NAFOA. “Elected tribal leaders will now be able to ‘opt-in’ to the Social Security program, which many Americans rely on for a safety net.”