Thread: Reply from Mel Martinez

Dear Ms. :

Thank you for contacting me concerning the Social Security Totalization Agreement between the United States and Mexico. I appreciate hearing from you and would like to respond to your concerns.

According to Social Security law, noncitizen individuals working in Social Security-covered employment must pay Social Security payroll taxes. This rule includes temporary workers, and persons working in the United States without authorization. Totalization agreements eliminate the burden of double taxation on American citizens and legal permanent workers by coordinating the collection of payroll taxes and the payment of Social Security benefits for workers who divide their careers between two countries.

Section 233 of the Social Security Act, authorizes the president to enter into a totalization agreement with a foreign country. Under Section 233(e) of the Social Security Act, the agreement is automatically approved, unless the House of Representatives or the Senate adopts a resolution of disapproval within 60 session days of its submittal to Congress.

Since 1978, our nation has entered in totalization agreements with 20 of our main trading partners including Japan, Australia, South Korea and most Western European nations. On June 9, 2004, a totalization agreement was announced between the U.S. and Mexican governments, but to date, it has not been transmitted to Congress for review.

Some disagreement has been reported regarding the financial cost and number of workers and family members that would be eligible under this agreement. However, more information will not be available until the end of the review process by the Social Security Administration, and its transmittal to Congress.

Rest assured that should the Totalization Agreement with Mexico be considered by the full Senate, I will keep your concerns in mind. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any additional comments or questions. In addition, for more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

Mel Martinez
United States Senator

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-117975.html

Romans 5:8