[House Document 105-47]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




105th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 105-47


 
  SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT AMENDING THE AGREEMENT ON SOCIAL SECURITY 
    BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE 
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  from

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

  A SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT AMENDING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED 
  STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT 
  BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND ON SOCIAL SECURITY (THE SUPPLEMENTARY 
  AGREEMENT), WHICH CONSISTS OF TWO SEPARATE INSTRUMENTS: A PRINCIPAL 
    AGREEMENT AND AN ADMINISTRATIVE ARRANGEMENT. THE SUPPLEMENTARY 
  AGREEMENT, SIGNED AT LONDON ON JUNE 6, 1996, IS INTENDED TO MODIFY 
CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ORIGINAL UNITED STATES- UNITED KINGDOM SOCIAL 
SECURITY AGREEMENT, SIGNED AT LONDON FEBRUARY 13, 1984, PURSUANT TO 42 
                            U.S.C. 433(e)(1)




  February 25, 1997.--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 
Government of the United States of America and the Government 
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on 
Social Security (the Supplementary Agreement), which consists 
of two separate instruments: a principal agreement and an 
administrative arrangement. The Supplementary Agreement, signed 
at London on June 6, 1996, is intended to modify certain 
provisions of the original United States-United Kingdom Social 
Security Agreement signed at London February 13, 1984.
    The United States-United Kingdom Social Security Agreement 
is similar in objective to the social security agreements with 
Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, 
Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, 
Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. Such bilateral agreements 
provide for limited coordination between the U.S. 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 1984 
Agreement to update and clarify several of its provisions, is 
necessitated by changes that have occurred in U.S. and English 
law in recent years. Among other things, the Supplementary 
Agreement removes certain restrictions in the original 
agreement concerning payment of UK disability benefits to 
residents of the United States. The Supplementary Agreement 
will also make a number of minor revisions in the Agreement to 
take account of other changes in U.S. and English law that have 
occurred in recent years.
    The United States-United Kingdom 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, pursuant to section 
233(c)(4) of the Act.
    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 principal agreement and the related 
administrative arrangement. Annexed to this report is the 
report required by section 233(e)(1) of the Act on the effect 
of the Agreement, as amended, on income and expenditures of the 
U.S. Social Security program and the number of individuals 
affected by the amended Agreement. The Department of State and 
the Social Security Administration have recommended the 
Supplemental Agreement and related documents to me.
    I commend the United States-United Kingdom Supplementary 
Social Security Agreement and related documents.

                                                William J. Clinton.
    The White House, February 25, 1997.