II

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1391

To authorize the President to permit the sale and export of food, medicines,

and medical equipment to Cuba.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

NOVEMBER 6, 1997

Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. WARNER, Mr. BENNETT, Mr. GRAMS, Mr. JEFFORDS, Mr. BINGAMAN, and Mr. LEAHY) introduced the following bill;

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

A BILL

To authorize the President to permit the sale and export

of food, medicines, and medical equipment to Cuba.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act shall be known as the ‘‘Cuban Women and

5 Children Humanitarian Relief Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress finds that—

8 (1) the outright ban on the sale of American

9 foodstuffs to Cuba has contributed to serious nutri-
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•S 1391 IS

1 tional deficits, particularly among pregnant women,

2 leading to low birth-weight babies;

3 (2) the embargo on trade with Cuba is severely

4 restricting Cuba’s access to water treatment chemi5 cals and spare parts for its water supply, causing re6 ductions in the supply of safe drinking water and

7 the increased incidence of water-borne diseases;

8 (3) the most specialized medical supplies are in

9 short supply or entirely absent from some Cuban

10 clinics as a result of the United States embargo;

11 (4) although informational materials have been

12 exempt from the United States trade embargo since

13 1988, in practice very little medical information is

14 exchanged between the United States and Cuba due

15 to travel restrictions, currency regulations, and ship16 ping difficulties; and

17 (5) current embargoes against Iran, Libya, and

18 Iraq do not ban the sale of food to those countries

19 or restrict medical commerce.

20 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

21 It should be the policy of the United States to permit

22 the sale and export of food, medicines, and medical equip23 ment to the Cuban people.
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•S 1391 IS

1 SEC. 4. AUTHORITY.

2 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the

3 President is authorized to permit the sale and export of

4 food, medicines, and medical equipment to Cuba by any

5 person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

6 SEC. 5. NOTIFICATION OF CONGRESS AND THE PUBLIC.

7 The President shall notify Congress of any decision

8 to exercise the authority of section 4 and shall, at the time

9 the decision is made, cause such decision to be published

10 in the Federal Register, together with such regulations as

11 the President determines may be necessary to ensure that

12 food, medicines, and medical equipment sold to Cuba

13 under this Act will primarily be consumed or otherwise

14 utilized by the people of Cuba.

15 SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

16 Two years after the date that the President first exer17 cises the authority of section 4, the President shall submit

18 a report to the Speaker of the House of Representatives

19 and the President of the Senate containing an assessment

20 of the level, composition, and end users of any food, medi21 cine, or medical equipment sold to Cuba during the pre22 vious two years by any person subject to the jurisdiction

23 of the United States.

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