Baseball Diplomacy Act

Subjects: International Affairs


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1075 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1075

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

                           February 17, 2023

 Mr. Cohen (for himself and Mr. Pocan) 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.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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