[House Document 105-49]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




105th Congress, 1st Session - - - - - - - - - - - House Document 105-49


 
  SECOND SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT AMENDING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE 
   GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF 
                CANADA WITH RESPECT TO SOCIAL SECURITY

                               __________

                                MESSAGE

                                  From

                   THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

                              transmitting

 THE SECOND SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT AMENDING THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE 
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA 
 WITH RESPECT TO SOCIAL SECURITY (THE SECOND SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT), 
 SIGNED AT OTTAWA ON MAY 28, 1996, WHICH IS INTENDED TO MODIFY CERTAIN 
    PROVISIONS OF THE ORIGINAL UNITED STATES-CANADA SOCIAL SECURITY 
   AGREEMENT SIGNED AT OTTAWA MARCH 11, 1981, WHICH WAS AMENDED ONCE 
 BEFORE BY THE SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT OF MAY 10, 1983, PURSUANT TO 42 
                            U.S.C. 433(e)(1)





    March 3, 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 
(the ``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 Second Supplementary Agreement Amending the 
Agreement Between the Government of the United States of 
America and the Government of Canada with Respect to Social 
Security (the Second Supplementary Agreement). The Second 
Supplementary Agreement, signed at Ottawa on May 28, 1996, is 
intended to modify certain provisions of the original United 
States-Canada Social Security Agreement signed at Ottawa March 
11, 1981, which was amended once before by the Supplementary 
Agreement of May 10, 1983.
    The United States-Canada Social Security Agreement is 
similar in objective to the social security agreements with 
Austria, Belgium, 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 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 Second Supplementary Agreement provides Canada with a 
specific basis to enter into a mutual assistance arrangement 
with the United States. This enables each Governments' Social 
Security agency to assist the other in enhancing the 
administration of their respective foreign benefits programs. 
The Social Security Administration has benefited from a similar 
mutual assistance arrangement with the United Kingdom. The 
Second Supplementary Agreement will also make a number of minor 
revisions in the Agreement to take into account other changes 
in U.S. and Canadian law that have occurred in recent years.
    The United States-Canada 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 Second 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 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 Second Supplementary Agreement and related 
documents to me.
    I commend the United States-Canada Second Supplementary 
Social Security Agreement and related documents.

                                                William J. Clinton.
    The White House, March 3, 1997.




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