[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[March 2, 1992]
[Page 362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Message to the Congress Transmitting the Finland-United States Social 
Security Agreement

March 2, 1992
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 Republic of Finland on Social Security, which 
consists of two separate instruments--a principal agreement and an 
administrative arrangement. The agreement was signed at Helsinki on June 
3, 1991.
    The United States-Finland agreement is similar in objective to the 
social security agreements already in force with Austria, Belgium, 
Canada, France, Germany, Italy, 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 loss of benefit 
protection that can occur when workers divide their careers between two 
countries.
    I also transmit for the information of the Congress a report 
prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services, providing 
explanation of the key points of the agreement, along with a paragraph-
by-paragraph explanation of the provisions of the principal agreement 
and the related administrative arrangement. In addition, as required by 
section 433(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 is also 
enclosed. I note that the Department of State and the Department of 
Health and Human Services have recommended the agreement and related 
documents to me.
    I commend the Agreement between the United States of America and the 
Republic of Finland on Social Security and related documents.

                                                             George Bush

The White House,
March 2, 1992.