[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 27 (Tuesday, March 12, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1781]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PRESIDENTIAL MESSAGE

  The following presidential message was laid before the Senate 
together with accompanying reports, which was referred as indicated:

       PM-73. A message from the President of the United States, 
     transmitting, pursuant to law, the Agreement Between the 
     Government of the United States of America and the Government 
     of Australia on Social Security; 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 Agreement Between the Government of 
the United States of America and the Government of Australia on Social 
Security, which consists of two separate instruments: a principal 
agreement and an administrative arrangement along with a paragraph-by-
paragraph explanation of each provision. The Agreement was signed at 
Canberra on September 27, 2001.
  The United States-Australia Agreement is similar in objective to the 
social security agreements already in force with Austria, Belgium, 
Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Korea, 
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 lost benefit protection that can 
occur when workers divide their careers between two countries. The 
United States-Australia Agreement contains all provisions mandated by 
section 233 and other provisions that I deem appropriate to carry out 
the purposes of section 233, pursuant to 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 
Agreement. Annexed to this report is the report required by section 
233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, a report 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 Agreement and related documents to me.
  I commend the United States-Australia Social Security Agreement and 
related documents.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, March 12, 2002.

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