[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 209 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 209

To waive certain prohibitions with respect to nationals of Cuba coming 
     to the United States to play organized professional baseball.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2005

 Mr. Serrano introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee 
  on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To waive certain prohibitions with respect to nationals of Cuba coming 
     to the United States to play organized professional baseball.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Baseball Diplomacy Act''.

SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.

    (a) Restriction on Embargo Authority.--The authorities of section 
620(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, those authorities under 
section 5(b) of the Trading with the Enemy Act that were being 
exercised with respect to Cuba on July 1, 1977, as a result of a 
national emergency declared before that date, and are being exercised 
on the date of the enactment of this Act, and section 203 of the 
International Emergency Economic Powers Act may not be exercised to 
regulate or prohibit--
            (1) those transactions permitted under section 515.571 of 
        title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, by or on behalf of a 
        Cuban national who enters the United States from Cuba on a visa 
        issued by the Department of State under section 
        101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for 
        the purpose of playing organized professional baseball; and
            (2) a Cuban national described in paragraph (1) from 
        returning to Cuba with the earnings made in playing organized 
        professional baseball.
    (b) Restriction on Immigration Authority.--The authority contained 
in section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act may not be 
used to deny a visa described in subsection (a)(1) to a Cuban national 
for the purpose of playing organized professional baseball.
    (c) Inapplicability of Other Restrictions.--This section applies 
notwithstanding section 102(h) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic 
Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.

SEC. 3. DURATION OF VISA.

    A visa described in section 2(a)(1)--
            (1) shall permit the alien to whom the visa is issued to 
        remain in the United States only for the duration of the 
        baseball season; and
            (2) need not be renewed for subsequent entries into the 
        United States for the duration of a valid contract entered into 
        between the alien and the professional baseball team with which 
        the alien played in the preceding baseball season.
                                 <all>