The Social Security Fairness Act cleared a key procedural hurdle on Wednesday, clearing the 60 votes it needs to advance by a vote of 73-27.

This puts the legislation on a sliding path to final passage, although the exact timing of this vote is still somewhat unclear as we await further clarity on the measures in the coming days.

The bill has already been passed by the House of Representatives. Once finally passed by the Senate, it will be sent to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature. Along with federal funding, this will be one of the last major pieces of legislation that Biden signs into law.

The bill was pushed by a bipartisan group of co-sponsors who, in a news conference Wednesday, praised the Senate action for helping protect millions of workers.

“I am so grateful that we in the federal government are keeping our earned benefits promise to give back what is due to the people who gave their lives to serve the public,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

“It’s a wonderful end to the year. We’re going to get some justice in my state, it’s going to help the 250,000 workers. “I really care about this Canary pin and the dignity of work and the struggle for workers,” said Senator . Rep. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said.

The closely watched legislation repeals provisions that limit the ability of some retirees who also receive pensions to claim Social Security benefits. Those affected include retirees who previously worked as firefighters, teachers, postal workers, police officers or other public sector jobs. A provision limiting benefits provided to surviving spouses of these workers would also be eliminated.

The bill passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support back in November, but Congress would need to act this week to avoid having to restart the process of passing the bill in the new year.

There are strong advocates on both sides of the aisle.

“It is unfair to punish Americans who taught our children, protected our streets and ran into burning buildings,” Cassidy, the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said in a statement earlier this month Post on X

But there are concerns among Republicans about the cost of the bill and the increased burden it could place on the already underfunded Social Security trust fund.

The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget has estimated that the bill would add $196 billion to the deficit and increase the insolvency rate of the Social Security Trust Fund.

As a result, there may be challenges on the ground that limit the ability to expedite the passage of this bill. And there is certainly a time crunch to consider.

The Senate has no shortage of things to get done in this final week of the lame-duck session. Work is currently underway to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, which is essential to pass. Senators also need to approve a government funding bill before the end of the week if they want to avoid a shutdown.