[House Document 104-217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                     

104th Congress, 2d Session - - - - - - - - - -  House Document 104-217



     SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT AMENDING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE 
 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA ON SOCIAL SECURITY

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

  A SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT AMENDING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED 
 STATES OF AMERICA AND THE REPUBLIC OF AUSTRIA ON SOCIAL SECURITY (THE 
``SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT'') SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT, SIGNED AT VIENNA 
  ON OCTOBER 5, 1995, IS INTENDED TO MODIFY CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE 
 ORIGINAL UNITED STATES-AUSTRIA SOCIAL SECURITY AGREEMENT, SIGNED JULY 
               13, 1990, PURSUANT TO 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)

 


    May 20, 1996.--Message and accompanying papers referred to the 
         Committee on Ways and Means and ordered to be printed


To the Congress of the United States:
    Pursuant to section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, 
as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (Public 
Law 95-216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith the 
Supplementary Agreement Amending the Agreement Between the 
United States of America and the Republic of Austria on Social 
Security (the ``Supplementary Agreement''). The Supplementary 
Agreement, signed at Vienna on October 5, 1995, is intended to 
modify certain provisions of the original United States-Austria 
Social Security Agreement, signed July 13, 1990.
    The United States-Austria Social Security Agreement is 
similar in objective to the social security agreements with 
Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, 
Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, 
Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Such bilateral 
agreements provide for limited coordination between the United 
States and foreign social security systems to eliminate dual 
social security coverage and taxation, and to help prevent the 
loss of benefit protection that can occur when workers divide 
their careers between two countries.
    The Supplementary Agreement, which would amend the 1990 
Agreement to update and clarify several of its provisions, is 
necessitated by changes that have occurred in U.S. and Austrian 
law in recent years. Among other things, it would introduce a 
new method of computing Austrian benefits under the Agreement 
that will result in higher Austrian benefits for certain people 
who have divided their careers between the United States and 
Austria. Another provision in the Supplementary Agreement will 
allow U.S. citizens hired in Austria by U.S. Foreign Service 
Posts to be covered by the Austrian Social Security System 
rather than the U.S. system. The Supplementary Agreement will 
also make a number of minor revisions in the Agreement to take 
account of other changes in U.S. and Austrian law that have 
occurred in recent years.
    The United States-Austria Social Security Agreement, as 
amended, would continue to contain all provisions mandated by 
section 233 and other provisions that I deem appropriate to 
carry out the provisions of section 233(c)(4).
    I also transmit for the information of the Congress a 
report prepared by the Social Security Administration 
explaining the key points of the Supplementary Agreement, along 
with a paragraph-by-paragraph explanation of the effect of the 
amendments on the Agreement. Annexed to this report is the 
report required by section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act 
on the effect of the Agreement on income and expenditures of 
the U.S. Social Security program and the number of individuals 
affected by the Agreement. The Department of State and the 
Social Security Administration have recommended the 
Supplementary Agreement and related documents to me.
    I commend the United States-Austria Social Security 
Agreement and related documents to the Congress.

                                                William J. Clinton.
    The White House, May 17, 1996.



  
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