I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2687 

To withhold United States assessed and voluntary contributions to the Organization of American States (OAS) if Cuba is allowed full membership 

or participation in the OAS unless the President certifies that Cuba 

has satisfied certain conditions, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 3, 2009 

Mr. MACK (for himself, Mr. SIRES, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, and 

Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To withhold United States assessed and voluntary contributions to the Organization of American States (OAS) if 

Cuba is allowed full membership or participation in the 

OAS unless the President certifies that Cuba has satisfied certain conditions, and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Cuba is currently excluded from participa6 tion in the Inter-American system, as adopted by 


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1 Resolution VI during the Eighth Meeting of Con2 sultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, held in 

3 Punta del Este, Uruguay, in 1962. 

4 (2) According to section 105 of the Cuban Lib5 erty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 

6 1996 (Public Law 104–114), ‘‘[t]he President 

7 should instruct the United States Permanent Rep8 resentative to the Organization of American States 

9 to use the voice and vote of the United States to op10 pose ending the suspension of the Government of 

11 Cuba from the Organization until the President de12 termines under section 203(c)(3) that a democrat13 ically elected government in Cuba is in power.’’. 

14 (3) The Inter-American Democratic Charter 

15 states that ‘‘the peoples of the Americas have a right 

16 to democracy and their governments have an obliga17 tion to promote and defend it.’’. 

18 (4) According to the most recent Department of 

19 State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, 

20 citizens in Cuba do not have the right to change 

21 their government, and the regime retaliated against 

22 those individuals who sought peaceful political 

23 change. 

24 (5) The Report continues that hundreds of po25 litical prisoners are currently being held, including 


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1 ‘‘peaceful activists, journalists, union organizers, and 

2 opposition figures . . .’’ and that ‘‘mistreatment of 

3 political prisoners and detainees was widespread[, 

4 and] [b]eatings were not uncommon.’’. 

5 (6) The Report further indicates that elections 

6 in Cuba are ‘‘neither free nor fair.’’. 

7 SEC. 2. CERTIFICATION REGARDING CUBA’S PARTICIPA8 TION IN THE OAS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—If the Government of Cuba is al10 lowed full membership or participation in the Organization 

11 of American States (OAS), for each fiscal year beginning 

12 after the date of the enactment of this Act until the Presi13 dent transmits to Congress a certification that the require14 ments described in subsection (b) have been satisfied, the 

15 Secretary of State shall, with respect to each such fiscal 

16 year, withhold assessed and voluntary contributions to the 

17 Organization of American States. 

18 (b) CERTIFICATION.—The certification referred to in 

19 subsection (a) is a certification made by the President to 

20 Congress that there is a government in Cuba that— 

21 (1) has legalized all political activity and polit22 ical parties; 

23 (2) has released all political prisoners; 

24 (3) has dissolved the present Department of 

25 State Security in the Cuban Ministry of the Interior; 


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1 (4) has made public commitments to organizing 

2 free and fair elections for a new government; 

3 (5) has complied with the Inter-American 

4 Democratic Charter; 

5 (6) has ceased any interference with Radio 

6 Marti or Television Marti broadcasts; 

7 (7) has made public commitments to and is 

8 making demonstrable progress in— 

9 (A) establishing an independent judiciary; 

10 (B) respecting internationally recognized 

11 human rights and basic freedoms as set forth in 

12 the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 

13 and 

14 (C) allowing the establishment of inde15 pendent trade unions, and allowing the estab16 lishment of independent social, economic, and 

17 political associations; 

18 (8) does not include Fidel Castro or Raul Cas19 tro; 

20 (9) has given adequate assurances that it will 

21 allow the speedy and efficient distribution of assist22 ance to the Cuban people; and 

23 (10) has complied with other applicable provi24 sions of section 205 of the Cuban Liberty and 


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1 Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 

2 (Public Law 104–114). 

Æ 


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