119-hr2415

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2415 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2415

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

 March 27, 2025

 Mr. Cohen introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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 the authorities of 

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 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.
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