[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 5, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H308]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE KINGDOM OF 
  NORWAY ON SOCIAL SECURITY--MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 
                      STATES (H. DOC. NO. 108-38)

  The SPEAKER pro tempore laid before the House the following message 
from the President of the United States; which was read and, together 
with the accompanying papers, without objection, 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 Agreement Between the United States 
of America and the Kingdom of Norway on Social Security, with a related 
administrative agreement, both signed at Oslo on November 30, 2001. 
This revised Agreement is intended to modify certain provisions of the 
original United States and Norwegian Agreement, which was signed in 
Washington on January 13, 1983, and, upon its entry into force, will 
replace the 1983 Agreement.
  The revised United States-Norwegian Agreement is similar in objective 
to the other social security agreements already in force with Austria, 
Belgium, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, 
Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, 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 
revised United States-Norwegian Agreement contains all provisions 
mandated by section 233 and other provisions, which 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, along with a paragraph-by-paragraph explanation of the 
provisions of the principal agreement and the administrative 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 United States 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-Norwegian Social Security Agreement and 
related documents.
                                                      George W. Bush.  
The White House, February 5, 2003.

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