Bill to allow unrestricted travel to Cuba

[Steve Marquardt]

If you support increased contacts among citizens of Cuba and the USA, as I do, I urge you to e-mail or phone or write to your US House Representative about the HR 874 bill to allow travel.

Steve Marquardt, Ph.D.
South Dakota State University Dean of Libraries Emeritus
Amnesty International Legislative Coordinator for Minnesota
9383 123rd Avenue SE
Lake Lillian, Minnesota 56253-4700
(320) 664-4231
http://groups.google.com/group/Cuba451Letters

Representative _______, I urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 874, the Delahunt-Flake bill "To allow travel between the United States and Cuba."

H.R. 874 calls for lifting travel restrictions to Cuba for ALL Americans, restoring our right as citizens of the United States to travel freely, and takes a giant step toward restoring our country's reputation in Latin America and the world.

I am a librarian concerned about the imprisonment of some 25 Cuban dissidents who operated independent libraries on the island.  They were arrested in the crackdown of March 2003 and sentenced to average prison terms of 20 years.  Nevertheless, despite violation of the freedom to read, and despite other human rights violations, I support the opening of travel as a means of influencing the dictatorial regime.

History shows that periods of open travel and greater contact with Cubans on the island have made the regime very nervous.  More Cubans meeting with Americans – whether Cuban-Americans or not – will lead to a greater questioning of the existing government and its policies.

To co-sponsor H.R. 874, please contact either Cliff Stammerman in Rep. Delahunt's office or Chandler Morse in Rep. Flake's office.

Here is the text of the Bill:

H. R. 874

To allow travel between the United States and Cuba.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 4, 2009

Mr. DELAHUNT (for himself, Mr. FLAKE, Ms. DELAURO, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland, Mr. PAUL, and Mr. FARR) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

A BILL

To allow travel between the United States and Cuba.

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 'Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act'.

SEC. 2. TRAVEL TO CUBA.

On and after the date of the enactment of this Act, and subject to section 3--

(1) the President may not regulate or prohibit, directly or indirectly, travel to or from Cuba by United States citizens or legal residents, or any of the transactions incident to such travel; and

(2) any regulation in effect on such date of enactment that regulates or prohibits travel to or from Cuba by United States citizens or legal residents or transactions incident to such travel shall cease to have any force or effect.

SEC. 3. EXCEPTIONS.

Section 2 shall not apply in a case in which the United States is at war with Cuba, armed hostilities between the two countries are in progress, or there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of United States travelers.

SEC. 4. APPLICABILITY.

This Act applies to actions taken by the President before the date of the enactment of this Act that are in effect on such date of enactment, and to actions taken on or after such date.

SEC. 5. INAPPLICABILITY OF OTHER PROVISIONS.

The provisions of this Act apply notwithstanding section 102(h) of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (22 U.S.C. 6032(h)) and section 910(b) of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7210(b)).