[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1549-S1550]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  REPORT OF THE SUPPLEMENTARY AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND 
            GREAT BRITAIN--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT--PM 15

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

[[Page S1550]]

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 Supplementary 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.

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